


Anchor, Alpha, Amant

by lyo24boi



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Canon Related, M/M, Post-Episode: s03e04 Unleashed
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-25
Updated: 2014-09-23
Packaged: 2017-12-24 15:51:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 23
Words: 53,618
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/941768
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lyo24boi/pseuds/lyo24boi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Updating for SEASON 3B. Isaac is starting to develop feelings towards Scott; what kind of feelings is the question. Attraction certainly. But not just romantic or sexual. More than that. Dependency. Need. Desire. Scott is beginning to fill every void, even the ones that Derek never could. SPOILER-laden.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Reined Back In

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This entire series' archive warning and rating are subject to change in the future.

Isaac Lahey turned from laying on his left side to his back, his eyes gazing at the white lunar-lit ceiling. _"Go!" Derek yelled, snapping the empty glass at him just as the thunder boomed against the apartment._ Isaac flinchingly-blinked as he recalled the glass hurling towards him, finally dampening his eyes after minutes of dry staring.

It had been two days and he still couldn't figure out what happened. It had been two days and no word from Derek, or Cora, or even Peter. No one had cued him into what happened, what caused Derek to snap the way he did. But it didn't matter. The moment that glass flew at him was the moment Isaac disowned Derek. Derek was no longer his Alpha. No longer his 'big brother.' At least in his mind anyways.

A half hour passed and Isaac once again turned, this time to his right side. The auburn door appeared dark brown against the dim lighting. It was at least two yards away from the single bed he was laying in. The door was closed shut and no light shone through from underneath. The only sound he could hear was the air-conditioning, which, every few minutes, rattled very briefly.

But then the lights were on in the hallway and he heard footsteps ascending the stairway further down the hall. Eventually, the feet, which were attached to a body, which opened a door, carried into the room at the mouth of the hallway and suddenly the light disappeared and a door closed. It was then that Isaac's thoughts wandered onto where he was. A bag dropped heavily on the other side of the door and a swear emitted lowly from beneath the door. Isaac smiled at Ms. McCall's lack of normal social decorum, not that she should be required to have any at four in the morning, after a long and grueling ten-hour shift at the hospital, and certainly not after dealing with Isaac's recent arrival.

Isaac recalled two nights prior. _The several light raps on Scott's door. His friend's unknowing yet quick response. "Come in, mom."_

_His entrance into the room, still dripping from the storm. Scott's immediate look of both confusion and concern. And his own plea, "I-I was wondering if, uh, if I could ask you a favor."_

_A short moment passed before Scott rose to his feet and said, "Shoot?" Scott was still clearly baffled by his presence. But more so he could tell Scott was concerned, maybe even worried._

_Isaac looked down from Scott's eyes to the computer chair behind his friend. "Could I maybe…maybe stay here for the night?"_

" _Yeah," Scott had said without a beat. "Of course."_

" _Thanks. I, uh, I owe you."_

_Scott had made a face before moving to his dresser and retrieving a bath towel from the bottom drawer. "Go…before you drip all over my floor," Scott had said, a slight smirk squirming out of the corner of his mouth._

_He had made his best attempt at a smile before taking the towel and heading into Scott's shower. Immediately he had been overwhelmed by Scott's scent. It covered the bathroom from floor to ceiling. And it got worse once the water began to create steam. He had finished as quickly as possible and left the tiny room even faster, desperate to get away from the Scott-humid air._

_As it turned out, however, he had only gone from one Scott to another, as Scott was sitting on the bed, the duffle next to him. "I'm gonna' get ready for bed. And leave you to it," Scott had said, forcing a reassuring bunch of his lower lip. Once the bathroom door closed he quickly changed into some of the few clothes he had and sat on the edge of the bed, just where Scott had been._

_The toilet flushed and Scott emerged, toothbrush in hand. "The guest room is full of some old things so go ahead and take mine." He had only nodded before throwing the duffle to the side of the bed and rolled off to the left side of the bed, away from the bathroom. After Scott had finished brushing his teeth, he emerged once again and turned all the lights off. Scott had grabbed the pillow next to him and made to leave._

" _You're not staying?" he had said, sitting up slowly._

" _I'm gonna' take the couch."_

" _But it's your—"_

" _Isaac, it's fine. Take the bed. Sleep. We'll talk in the morning?" Scott had made a better attempt at giving a reassuring smile before heading out into the hallway._

" _Scott."_

_Scott's face reappeared, his hand grasping the frame._

" _Stay. I-I don't want to be alone tonight."_

_Scott had nodded and returned to the bed. Scott laid down on the right side, lying flat on his back while he had just rolled back over to his side._

" _Whatever happened, Isaac," Scott had started, "try not to think about it. Just sleep."_ And Isaac had. The next morning they had talked about Derek—over waffles which Scott had pulled out of a box in the freezer. Isaac had been rather reluctant at first, especially about the details. But as always, Scott's demeanor always seemed to triumph and Isaac told him everything. He trusted Scott. Just like he told him before at Deaton's.

It had been two days since he arrived at the McCall's and he already felt like he was intruding. Ms. McCall treated him no different than she did Stiles. Well, maybe a little different since Isaac didn't yammer on _nearly_ as much—he could tell she appreciated that. But he also feared that she was timid of him. Maybe not so much about the werewolf aspect, but because of the danger he brought. And Isaac feared that as well. He was never one to trample on others…at least not regularly; there certainly was a brief time just after he had been turned.

Isaac rolled back onto his back and sighed heavily, not even willing to will his eyes closed, let alone will himself to sleep.

 

— Ʌ | Ʌ | Ʌ —

6:45 rolled around rather fast and Isaac opened his eyes rather abruptly. It was Thursday and another great day for school. Likely filled with doing his damnedest to avoid the twin once again, as well do his best to keep his emotions in check around Scott. The last two days at Scott's helped Isaac see that there were feelings he never knew he could have for a guy. Isaac had been not just a guest imposing, or even a friend staying over. He had been under Scott's care. Sheltered and taken in from the cruelty this supernatural world was churning out. That care _meant_ something.

He wasn't sure if it was romantic. Probably too soon for that. But they were feelings that were more than friendly or kinship-related. Scott was just…Scott. There was a manner of loyalty, kindness, and even innocence that poured from the guy that was…intoxicating…much like the steam in Scott's bathroom that first surrounded Isaac only three days ago. Scott was special somehow, and Isaac, despite his nervousness about the feelings, was also eager to see where they led him.

After readying for school, Isaac made his way into the kitchen for a quick breakfast. He grabbed a toaster strudel and tossed it in the toaster oven as Scott walked into the room.

"Morning," Scott began, grabbing an apple from the fruit drawer in the refrigerator and a bottled orange juice.

"Morning," Isaac replied. "You got in late last night."

"You went to bed early," Scott said before digging into the side of the apple.

"Yeah. I, uh, finished my homework early so I thought I'd be good and get to bed early. Where'd you go?"

"Uh, Allison's." Of course. The now lighter-brunette, werewolf hunting, knife—no 'Chinese ring dagger' wielding ex-girlfriend. Despite all that had happened Monday, what with the storage closet, the somewhat-apology for the stabbings, and the bike setup, Isaac still carried disdain for her. Of course he would: she _still_ tried to kill him several months ago. _And_ her family wrought nothing but misery and death upon his kind. Disdain seemed a reasonable attitude towards the girl, if not a lighter attitude than what would truly be justified.

"What for?" Isaac said, slicing open the icing packet with a claw.

"Had to return something of her's."

"Oh."

Within a minute Isaac's toaster strudel _dinged_ and within only another 30 seconds, it was devoured. Scott smirked at him before they geared up for the trek to school: jackets, bike gloves, helmets. Scott hopped on first before Isaac followed, wrapping his hands snuggly around Scott's waist. Of course that action never helped matters concerning Isaac's emotions, which were begging to be unleashed. Scott revved his bike and before long the pair were headed to Beacon Hills High School.

 

— Ʌ | Ʌ | Ʌ —

School had been an interesting day from the go of the morning announcements. Their new principle reminded everyone that all of Mr. Harris' classes would henceforth be subbed by Ms. Blake until he makes a "full recovery", despite being another tally in Stiles' log of sacrifices. After the conversation with Scott earlier that morning, Isaac was somewhat surprised to note that Allison wasn't in homeroom, nor did she join them for lunch; only the three boys and Lydia sat together.

The most interesting part, however, was the strange unspoken tension between Scott and Stiles and Scott's extra-positive attitude towards Isaac. All throughout lunch Scott and Stiles exchanged wary words through an occasional stare; they obviously weren't mad at each other, but something was definitely up. Scott, however, made his best attempt to seem as little obvious as possible and even suggested he and Isaac put off all homework until Sunday after their return from the cross-country trip tomorrow.

And they did. After school let out Isaac returned home with Scott on the latter's motorcycle. They dropped their backpacks in their respective rooms and met back up in Scott's room.

"Movie?" Scott asked, holding up two DVDs still in their packaging.

"You're on," Isaac replied, grinning upon seeing one of the latest superhero movies amongst the unopened pair.

They made their way to the family room and plopped down on the sofa in front of the medium-large-sized flat screen. Scott had bought the TV for his mom for her birthday with the savings he earned from working with Deaton; it was the first and only flat screen in the house.

 

— Ʌ | Ʌ | Ʌ —

Isaac was pulled out of his half-slumber by the creaking of the last step atop the staircase and a muttered swear that followed. Whatever it was earlier was about to go down. Isaac got up and threw his leather jacket on before ascending the stairs almost cat-like (a skill he had harnessed with Erica's help before her death).

Isaac approached Scott's room and watched as the boy slipped on his own jacket, Scott's back to the door. Scott picked up his helmet before turning to leave. Upon seeing Isaac, Scott gasped, his eyebrows jumping along with his body. "Whoahhh."


	2. The Rope That Begins To Fray

… _Isaac approached Scott's room and watched as the boy slipped on his own jacket, Scott's back to the door. Scott picked up his helmet before turning to leave. Upon seeing Isaac, Scott gasped, his eyebrows jumping along with his body. "Whoahhh."_

Isaac, who was leaning against the frame, only smirked, looking at the helmet in Scott's hand. "Where ya' goin'?" Isaac asked, looking up into Scott's face.

"Uhhhhh, I-tshh-I was gonna' go get some food to eat," Scott replied, squirming both bodily and facially as he walked towards Isaac.

"Oh cool, I'll come with you," Isaac replied, seeing right through Scott's glass-transparent lie.

"Nah' dude, it's okay. I can eat alone."

"What are you getting?" Isaac asked, his eye lids fluttering in amusement, a smirk pulling at his mouth; toying with Scott was too easy.

"Ughhhh," Scott began, breathing out with slight anxiety. "Mexicannnn…" Scott slowly posed, clearly trying to deter Isaac. He would have none of that.

"Dude, I love Mexican it's…" Isaac began and turned to leave the room, knowing it was game, set, and match. He also couldn't help but chuckle to himself on the inside at his own remarks: he knew Scott was part Mexican, and considering Isaac's current budding feelings, he couldn't help himself.

Scott started forward, his playful face changing to a more serious look. "Isaac," Scott interrupted. "I can eat alone; it's okay." Isaac knew Scott was only trying to keep Isaac safe from whatever was going on. Scott was empathetic in that way.

But again, Isaac wasn't having any of that. He smirked at Scott and said, "You're not going alone. C'mon." Isaac backed out of the room, never losing contact with Scott's face. The ball, while the match was clearly over, was in Scott's side of the court now.

Scott only peered at Isaac twice as he reluctantly left his own bedroom and the two made their way for Scott's bike. "Derek is planning an attack," Scott began as they made their way through the house. "They're going after Deucalion in an hour. I want to meet with him first. Try and stop whatever he's planning."

"Do you think that'll work?" Isaac posed.

"I've got to try. Too many people are dying. Too many have _already_ died. If I can prevent any more, I've got to do this."

Isaac only nodded, letting out a wary and cautious sigh nonetheless. They mounted onto Scott's bike and headed off to meet with the scariest man they've ever had the displeasure to come across.

 

— Ʌ | Ʌ | Ʌ —

"We're just gonna' talk to 'em," Scott reiterated after dismounting the bike. "Try to reason with him. That's it." Scott seemed so sure this could work, though that verbal assurance could either be confidence or naivety. Scott looked back at Isaac, who only returned the stare. "What?" Scott asked, looking back at Isaac and then forward again.

"Nothin', it's just that I—" he began. "I'm actually kinda' hungry now," he finished before walking to Scott's side.

Scott pat his shoulder before letting out a sigh and saying, "So am I." Good, now he and Scott were on the same level of caution, even despite Scott's valiant attempt at putting the strong face forward.

 

— Ʌ | Ʌ | Ʌ —

The skirmish began and ended before Isaac realized. One second he and Scott were fighting with the combined twins and the next Isaac was pulling Scott away from the ledge to run. Thanks to Allison's distraction, and Derek's sacrifice—which he hated admitting—Ennis lay atop the center of an escalator, the twins had been separated and lay on the floor in pain, and Kali was at the feet of Deucalion's perch.

Despite their flight to Scott's bike, Isaac was seemingly dragging Scott, who was still in shock by Derek's tumble over the ledge. Isaac mounted the bike first, placing the helmet over his head and revving the bike. "Scott!" he yelled once. And then again. Scott, who'd been gazing at the spot where Deucalion was sitting, twisted his head to the call and joined Isaac on the bike. Within seconds, they were both heading off into the night.

"We have to go back!" Scott finally yelled as they parked alongside the guard rail of an unlit one-lane road. "Boyd and Cora—"

"Are fine," Isaac said, his hands on his knees as he tried to catch his breath, mostly from attempting to prevent himself from hyperventilating. "I…I saw them leaving."

"Derek…we have to go back for Derek."

"There's nothing we can do, Scott."

"We have to try!"

"Scott!" Isaac yelled. Scott only looked into Isaac's face for a second before returning his gaze to the woods. Isaac walked up to Scott and placed a hand on Scott's shoulder. "There's nothing we can do," Isaac said calmly. "There's nothing you could've done."

"It's my faul—"

"No. It's not," Isaac said, taking that hand and wrapping it around Scott's shoulder, pulling Scott's back against Isaac's front and side, Isaac's other hand resting atop Scott's shoulder. They stood there for a moment, Isaac searching for the words to get Scott to expel those thoughts of blame. But they never came. "C'mon. Let's go home." Scott only nodded and they mounted the bike, Isaac taking the handles once again.

 

— Ʌ | Ʌ | Ʌ —

Tonight was different than Monday. Tonight Scott joined Isaac in _his_ bed. And tonight, no inches separated it them. Isaac had gotten ready for bed and was already laying down when Scott came in, still garbed in his slashed v-neck. He looked as if his brother had just died, and in some ways his 'brother' had. Isaac scooted over so his back was only inches from the wall the bed was up against. Scott sat on the edge of the bed, his back to Isaac, his gaze at the carpet near the door.

"Scott," Isaac began, resting a hand on the other boy's lower back.

That was only word exchanged between them as Scott laid down. Isaac moved right behind him, despite the pain in his shoulder where the combined twins had strained, and placed a hand on Scott's bicep, his chest against Scott's back for the second time that night. The room was silent but for the mostly steady breathing. No tears fell. No whimpers or light cries emitted. Just breaths. A surprising serene silence that ultimately led them into the morning with plenty of sleep… _somehow_.

 

— Ʌ | Ʌ | Ʌ —

Friday was even more interesting than Thursday. When Isaac awoke, Scott was already gone; when the beta found Scott, the latter was already on the steps before the porch, seated and gazing out into the scene before him.

"Stiles is gonna' pick us up," Scott stated when Isaac closed the front door. Isaac didn't reply. He only sat next to Scott and joined him in gazing out. When Stiles finally pulled up in his jeep, the two boys quickly piled in and off they went.

"Oookay," Stiles said after a few minutes of silence. "Is anybody gonna' fill me in?" No one said anything. "Seriously, you guys are like the walking dead. Or rather sitting dead but you get my point."

"Derek's dead," Scott blurted out.

"Run that by me again," Stiles replied, his eyes widening and his eyebrows raising.

"Derek's dead. And it's my fault."

"Whoa, whoa. Back up. Rewind. Derek's dead? How? When? Why?"

Scott proceeded to break it down. The plan to reason with Deucalion. Derek's interruption of the plan. The fight. Allison's saving grace. And last but not least, Derek's tumble with Ennis over the ledge. And, of course, all laden with word after word and insinuation after insinuation of his own guilt.

"Dude," Stiles began as he parked the car in the near-empty school lot, "it's not your fault. For the hundredth time." Scott only shrugged before getting out and shuffling towards the bus.

Stiles and Isaac exchanged looks as they walked behind Scott. "He's been like this since last night," Isaac said. "You're his best friend…is there anything you can do to take his mind off it?"

"Maybe," Stiles said.

They boarded the bus and Isaac watched Stiles sit next to Scott in the back. He took a seat towards the front before Boyd joined him; his shoulder appeared to be healed from Kali's slash. They only exchanged looks before looking forward. It was going to be a long ride. And it would only be longer when Boyd and Isaac watched Ethan walk onto the bus. The little shit shot them a smirk before passing them to sit with Danny, who was resting his eyes and had the back of his head resting on the top of the seat.

"Don't even think about it," Isaac said, catching Boyd glancing back at the twin. Boyd looked forward again, saying nothing.

 

— Ʌ | Ʌ | Ʌ —

Isaac was doing his best to prevent Boyd from doing anything to Ethan when he saw Stiles and…Allison?…helping Scott into the men's restroom that was closed for renovation. Unable to check up on Scott, due to Boyd, who he wasn't physically holding back anymore, Isaac decided to wait.

It paid off as Stiles and…Lydia?…emerged moments later. And Stiles was in a panic. "Stay here," Isaac said almost warningly. He was sure Boyd wouldn't do something: Danny was talking to Ethan, who was leaning up against some tree.

"Stiles," Isaac began as he hopped onto the bus, seeing Stiles digging through Scott's backpack in the back of the bus. "What's wrong?"

"It's Scott," Stiles said, looking up for a moment before returning to his search.

"What's wrong with Scott?" Isaac's pulse sped up slightly faster, recalling the moment earlier when he noted Scott was still hurt.

"He's not doing good," Stiles replied as he stood up with one of Scott's shirts in-hand. "He's...he's dying." Stiles slipped past Isaac and hurried off. Isaac's eyes flashed yellow. Suddenly, everything turned red. His breathing hitched. He was off the bus. The next thing he knew it he was wailing into Ethan's jaw. The little shit only smiled at him. He didn't even fight back. Only Danny tried to stop him and Isaac easily shrugged him off.

And then his name was being called. "Isaac! Isaac! Isaac!" Finstock. And then Danny was grabbing at him again. And again he threw him off. "Knock it off!"

"Isaaaac!" thundered _the_ voice. Scott's voice. The voice that mattered. His next punch stopped midway. He slowly rose and turned towards the voice, fist still raised, Ethan's shirt still clutched in the other. He was panting and when he saw Scott standing before him, he let go of the twin. Scott was looking at him. Only him. He wasn't angry. He wasn't disgraced. He was concerned. Isaac breathed out again, looking down from Scott's gaze for a moment. He saw that the wound wasn't affecting him. And then he looked back up at Scott and the tiniest of smiles tugged at the very brink of the corners of his mouth. He noted a crowd had formed. It was quiet but for the inaudible mutters. People were staring. Both at Scott and himself. He looked down again and Scott did the same before looking back up at him. He refused to look back when he couldn't help it any longer.

"Everyone back on the bus!" Finstock yelled, looking from Isaac to Ethan, who was now being helped to his feet by Danny. "Lahey, front seat. Got it?" Isaac turned to face the coach and only looked at him before heading to the bus. He took the first seat on the left as he was told. He sighed in relief, smiling to himself when a hand grasped his shoulder. It was Scott.

"I'm okay," Scott told him, giving him a reassuring smile. And by all appearances, he was. And in that very moment, prefaced by all the rage and adrenaline, that's all that mattered right then. Scott walked towards the back, followed by Allison, Stiles, and Lydia. Finstock joined them as the last one on and he sat directly behind Isaac.

"Face forward," he warned. "If I even think you're gonna' glance back, we'll pull this over and I'll leave you to walk back to the school and explain to them _exactly_ why you're suddenly not joining us anymore."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After 3x04 I found myself thinking about Teen Wolf nonstop for the next week, specifically about Scisaac. I had picked up on their budding friendship since the rave last season and was delighted to see it pick up by 2x11 and even more thrilled when it blossomed during the first four episodes of Season 3. And then the ending of 'Unleashed' came around and fuck my life. The teasing was so direct. So in our faces that I couldn't stop thinking about it. So here's my attempt at my favorite Teen Wolf pairing and even more so my attempt at gurgitating some of the Scisaac churning in my head.
> 
> 'Anchor, Alpha, Amant' is going to be my attempt at making a Scisaac relationship fit as snugly into the canon storyline as possible. Given the trend of things, I'm hoping they'll leave enough windows open for that to happen; that said, I'm implying that this will be released based on each episode. My hope is to squeeze some xXx into this but that all depends on the producers. Because there's no guarantee, I'll eventually be writing separate one-shots or such that will guarantee that. Thanks for reading and comments, of course, are welcome.


	3. Californication

Isaac didn't even realize when the bus stopped. Or why it had stopped because more traffic; even on a Saturday early in the morning the highway was still heavy with it. No, Isaac was too busy being lost in his own thoughts. Daydreaming. Some could even call it having a daytime nightmare. He recalled his powerlessness from the night prior to their return home. He recalled his father's wicked words. But even worse he recalled the chains. The darkness. The box…no. The coffin.

Isaac noticed the wind carry a small towel of dust. It was the first tangible thing he'd seen since they left Motel Glen Capri. Then his focused pulled back and there were his sunken-in eyes in the reflection of the dirty window. He blinked once and watched his eyelids close before the flash of darkness. Even blinking scared him, hence the burn when he finally did as blinking had become a rare action over the last hour.

And then he was jumping out of his seat a few inches into the air, his head snapping to the source of the sensation on his lower bicep. A tan hand. Attached to Scott. Scott McCall. Whose lips were forming his name. And a phrase of concern.

"Isaac. Are you alright?" The sound was refreshing to hear. It was a stupid question…in a way. Scott had no idea what had happened to him last night. Well, maybe only the surface of what had happened; certainly not the extra deep rooted scars he would now have to carry. But, the sound was refreshing to hear nonetheless. Scott's voice had that about it. Everything about Scott seemed to carry some weight of special effects on Isaac. It was one of the intriguing things about Scott. "Isaac?" Scott said again. Isaac realized he hadn't really answered him. Only stared at the moving lips and the crooked jaw. Isaac found it odd that Scott's jaw hadn't realigned from the bite. And then Scott's lips parted to say his name again—

"I…I'm holding up," Isaac finally said rather weakly.

"Did you get _any_ sleep?"

Isaac shook his head before turning it back to stare out the window.

"Do you…" Scott paused. "When you wanna' talk, you know where I'll be." Isaac felt Scott squeeze his arm where the latter's hand had been and the boy stood.

"Scott," Isaac said after turning to look at his face. "Thanks."

Scott nodded at him and made to move to retake his seat that he'd been sharing with Stiles. "For god's sake, McCall," came Finstock's voice.

"I'm going, coach," Scott said casually as he made for his seat. Stiles, after receiving a knowing yet equally scolding look from their lacrosse coach, hopped right back next to Scott; he had been in the seat behind Lydia talking to the girls.

Isaac looked further back to see his prior roommate doing what Isaac had _just_ been doing. Staring out the window. And Isaac resumed doing the same. As he turned he found a larger sheet-sized carry of dust blow.

— Ʌ | Ʌ | Ʌ —

" _You moron…"_

" _I want you to shut up…"_

" _Grab the chains…"_

" _I said get in the damn freezer!"_

" _GET INNN!"_

Isaac startled awake as the bus hit a harsh bump in the road. He immediately looked around to see if anyone had noticed. Not even Scott had. He curled up harder against the window, wiping sweat from his forehead and two swipes of tears that had nestled and thickened just under his eyes.

"Alright everyone," came Finstock's voice again, "since we're _not_ going to have a repeat of yesterday…we're going to make a pit stop. Jared, get it together. Stilinski, I don't wanna' hear it. We're not stopping for food."

"But coach…"

Isaac tuned them out, his thoughts dragging him head first back into torment. His father's words on a sick replay. Track 1 on 'repeat one.'

"Lahey," Finstock said and Isaac turned to see the tall man's naturally wide eyes looking down at him, "stay away from Ethan." Bobby Finstock hunched down a little. "If you can do that," he began, his voice more hushed, "I might just forget about yesterday. Got it?"

Isaac nodded.

"Good." Finstock smirked and gripped Isaac's shoulder before returning to yell at another student.

Within a few moments they pulled up to the same rest stop they had visited yesterday. Isaac was first off the bus and first into the working men's restroom. He dipped his head down to splash cold water on his face, his eyes red and extremely heavy. Two boys came in while he was looking in the mirror; they paid no attention to him. Isaac dried his face with a paper towel and walked out, only to physically bump into Danny; no words were exchanged, only a glare coming from the taller of the two lacrosse players.

Isaac hopped back onto the bus to find Boyd right where he'd left him. Isaac took his seat in the front—which Finstock had still mandated he take—and looked out to watch Scott, Allison, Lydia, and Stiles all engaged in a serious conversation as they walked back from the bathrooms. He looked at Scott and found that, of the four of them, he spoke rarely and tersely. Last night clearly had taken its toll on him as well. Isaac closed his eyes before vowing to ask him about it when they got back home.

— Ʌ | Ʌ | Ʌ —

" _You moron…"_

" _I want you to shut up…"_

" _Grab the chains…"_

" _I said get in the damn freezer!"_

" _Back off!" came a different voice._

" _Who the hell do you think—"_

" _I'm the alpha." Scott's voice._

Isaac once again startled awake. This time, though, he wasn't sweating. Nor did he have salty gel under his eyes. But even more there was a heavy sensation on his shoulder. A weight. Isaac slowly turned his head to see the top of a dark brunette's head. A very familiar mop at that. Familiar mostly by smell, but even by sight as well.

Isaac glanced back out the window and, while his face never showed it, he allowed himself a moment of bliss. A moment to take in all that Scott had become and was becoming to him. Scott was his anchor. Obviously. Only an anchor or an alpha could steal one from their transformed state. Scott wasn't an alpha. But he clearly could tear Isaac from his rage. Which Scott had done twice now.

But the dream still tugged at his wandering thoughts. _"I'm the alpha."_ That was a line right out of Derek's book. And Scott…well maybe Scott was becoming…just maybe…


	4. Floating Down Stream

Bus 6502 pulled up alongside Beacon Hills High School around four on Saturday afternoon. It had been an interesting trip to say the least, especially for those involved in the supernatural frenzy surrounding Beacon Hills. Scott McCall got off the bus first, closely followed by Isaac Lahey, the pair of which had been sitting next to each other since their stop at the rest area.

"I guess this is where we depart?" Allison asked as she walked up to Scott, Isaac, and Stiles, followed closely by Lydia.

Scott nodded and thanked her, making their departure quick to avoid any further awkward tension between them and to avoid any confrontation with Chris Argent, who was leaning against his SUV only several yards away. Lydia said her 'goodbyes' as well and joined Allison.

"Home?" Stiles asked, turning to the two boys next to him. "Food?" he asked even more hopefully.

Scott turned to Isaac to defer the ultimate decision to him. Scott had had it rough, but he knew something more was going on with Isaac.

"Um, sure," Isaac said. "Can we get Mexican?"

Scott smirked and turned to Stiles. "I could really go for that."

"Mexican it is," Stiles said with more energy than his two friends combined could only dream of mustering today. They walked over to his jeep and within moments they were on their way to the best hole-in-the-wall restaurant Beacon Hills had to offer.

— Ʌ | Ʌ | Ʌ —

After ordering up at the counter, the three boys took their seat and Scott, with the bottle of salsa in hand, began to squirt out its contents into smaller thin-cardboard containers so he could return it to the counter for the next person. That's when Stiles opened his mouth to speak and Isaac immediately cut him off.

"I have a request," Isaac said, watching Scott dish out the salsa. "Can we not talk about this trip. At least while we're here?"

"But—" Stiles began again.

"Sure," Scott interrupted.

Stiles let it go. Dying as he was to cover every detail of their trip to Motel Glen Capri, he knew it was time to for them all to breathe.

— Ʌ | Ʌ | Ʌ —

Surprisingly, Stiles didn't bring up the topic on their way back to the McCall residence. And Scott and Isaac _certainly_ weren't about to. Stiles surprised them again when he didn't stick around for very long after arriving, especially since it was just the three of them in the house. Stiles seemed to make up an excuse about how his dad wanted him home, even though Stiles never seemed to receive a text from the sheriff, and he definitely didn't receive a call.

After Stiles left, Scott retreated to his room and Isaac walked into the back yard, lying flat in the grass. He closed his eyes, his arms bent above his head, his hands resting under, his jacket bunched up to provide some cushioning. And as he began to drift, his ears found themselves listening to the sound of Scott's gentle and steady heartbeat.

— Ʌ | Ʌ | Ʌ —

" _I'm the alpha." Scott's voice again. "And I told you to back off."_

Isaac's eyes snapped wide open, brought back to the world by the banging of a motorcycle muffler somewhere down the street. He sat up, noting that the midafternoon sky had transformed into the beautiful evening sky, with the sun nearing the visible horizon.

"You're up?" came Melissa McCall's voice from the kitchen window.

"Mexican food puts me out," Isaac said, getting to his feet.

"Does it, now? When did you guys eat?"

Isaac, after entering the kitchen, looked at the time on the microwave. "Couple hours ago."

"Will you be hungry soon?" She stopped in her tracks and then smiled and turned to Isaac. "Wait. Don't answer that. Teenage growing werewolf boy. Stupid question."

Isaac grinned. "We can eat whenever. Unless you're hungry now?"

"I need about 20 minutes but then we can go. You could probably wake up Scott now, though; you know how he is after a nap."

Isaac nodded and went to head upstairs.

"Oh, and Isaac, make sure he lets you pick the place. It is your birthday after all."

That was a surprise for Isaac. Yes, that she knew it was. But to him as well. It couldn't already by the 22nd could it? "How did you…?"

Melissa looked at him knowingly.

"Wait. Don't answer that," he mimicked. "Adult multitasking motherly nurse with access to hospital records."

She nodded and Isaac proceeded up the stairs, shaking his head and smiling at himself, pondering at how he found himself in such a welcoming homely situation.

— Ʌ | Ʌ | Ʌ —

Isaac's 18th birthday had been amongst the top-most memorable. Easily. It was just the three of them. At a nicer Italian restaurant. With no discussion of the supernatural whatsoever. Having a normal family outing. With normal family conversation. And normal family laughing. And normal 'brotherly' joking with normal motherly disapproval. And that's what he needed. Grounding. Grounding in reality. Because that grounding was the key to the future. The key to hope that one day soon things will level out. Hope that they can all finish out the rest of this school year and graduate. Once and for all. Move on to normal lives with normal jobs.

But these thoughts only crossed his mind when he was home after dinner while he was watching the highlights from the Indiana State Championship BMX Final. He wasn't really watching it though. On top of being lost in thought about a normal future, he was also staring at the new tablet Melissa had gotten him that sat next to him on the couch. But even more importantly, he was staring at the custom wolf-head padlock key Scott had given to him. Melissa was confused about the present, but Scott and Isaac exchanged a silent yet deep conversation about it at the dinner table. One that literally forced Isaac to bolster the floodgates; it was easily the most symbolically endearing gesture anyone had ever made towards Isaac. And from Scott, having still not discussed last night's torturous events, that meant a lot.

"What're you watching?" Scott asked after finally joining Isaac in the family room, having been preoccupied with helping Melissa with some house chores—Isaac had been banned from lifting a finger.

"Indiana highlights," Isaac said as Scott took the seat next to him, propping his feet up on the coffee table next to Isaac's.

"Wanna' watch a movie?" Scott asked.

"Not particularly," Isaac replied.

"Ready to head to bed?"

"Not really."

"Do you…do you wanna' talk?"

There it was. The elephant in the room…finally sounding its long trunk. "I…we…"

"We don't have to," Scott quickly offered. "I mean, I didn't wanna' bring it up. You seemed to be having such a great evening—"

"Day," Isaac said.

Scott's face only furrowed to a puzzle.

"Yeah, this morning sucked. But the ride home wasn't too bad. Especially since…" Isaac stopped, not wanting to tell Scott that it was because he woke up with Scott sleeping against him.

"Since?"

"I dunno.' It just wasn't too bad. And lunch afterwards. I dunno.' Everything seems to be getting better faster than I expected."

"That's what happens when you're around me," Scott kid, bumping his shoulder into Isaac. Isaac laughed a little, looking from Scott's bright face to his own hands in his lap, safe from contact with any part of Scott.

"Thanks for the key," Isaac said. "I, uh, I kinda' needed this today. I mean, I really needed dinner. The way it went. You're mom's hilarious. But this," he said, twiddling it in his fingers, "this I really needed."

"'Cuz of last night?"

Isaac nodded, still not looking at Scott. "I…I heard his voice. He put me back in there."

"Isaac, I—"

"So thank you," Isaac said, finally looking at Scott's face. "I really needed this."

Scott gave him a reassuring smile and looked down at his feet. Isaac did the same with his own. They sat there, the television still broadcasting the sports channel Isaac had it on.

"I saw my mom die," Scott finally blurted out. Isaac immediately snapped to look at him. "Deucalion. He ripped…he killed her. The next thing I knew, I was dousing myself in gasoline. I had a flare. And it was blazing in my hand." Scott looked as though he was right there again, reliving the experience he was espousing. Isaac shifted and placed his hand on Scott's between them. "And then Stiles was there. And Allison and Lydia. And I…I was gonna' use it. I needed to use it." He shook his head, several tears slipping by his control. "Everyone around me…they just keep getting hurt."

For once, Isaac found himself on the comforting end, rather than the one in need of it. "Hey," Isaac said, reaching over to Scott's far shoulder and pulling him into his chest into a much-needed embrace.

"I almost—"

"But you didn't," Isaac said. They sat there like that, holding _his_ alpha—for whatever that's worth. He turned the TV off and just listened to the sound of Scott's breathing. The sound of his restless heartbeat that was slowly simmering down.

— Ʌ | Ʌ | Ʌ —

Isaac awoke once again with a heavy sensation on his body. But it wasn't his shoulder this time: it was his lap. Yet, the same head of hair was causing that sensation and Isaac knew he could get used to that. Although, getting used to it would require him not sporting an erection every time Scott decided to use Isaac's lap as a pillow. Isaac looked down at the cable box for the time, the vivid blue numbers reading a quarter after midnight.

"Scott?" Isaac said in a lower voice. "Scott? We should go to bed."

The brunette in his lap didn't move. He kept just as still, breathing so normally and peacefully that Isaac took no pleasure in waking him. For both their sakes.

"Scott…c'mon get up," Isaac said, nudging him in the shoulder.

"Nnnngh," Scott groaned, consciousness slowly entering his system.

"It's after midnight."

"Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why'd you have to wake me? I was comfortable."

Isaac only smirked, nudging him again. "Well let's get comfortable in bed."

"You offering?" Scott joked.

"All the time. High charge though."

"Rough, man," Scott said as he slowly pushed himself up and began rubbing his eyes and forehead. "How long was I out?"

"How long were _we_ out?" Isaac corrected. "And I dunno'…maybe a couple hours?"

"I'm hungry," Scott blurted, looking from Isaac to the kitchen, leaning up to do so.

"You're always hungry."

"And you're not?" Scott retorted, smirking.

"Well…"

"Do you want anything?"

"What're you making?"

"Depends if you're having."

"Why not?" Isaac said, standing up and walking into the kitchen, Scott just behind him.

— Ʌ | Ʌ | Ʌ —

Sunday had been just the same as Saturday—with one exception: the whole day had been normal and relaxed rather than just the afternoon and evening. Isaac had attempted to sleep in, but given the fact the Scott was forced to vacuum the upstairs as part of this weekend's set of chores, that didn't work out so well. By the time Melissa came in, she found Isaac fully dressed and de-sheeting his bed.

"Are you hungry?" she asked after Isaac confirmed that she could enter.

"What're you making?" he asked, smelling something delicious in the air.

Acting as if she were insulted, Melissa scoffed at him and said, "Is that a test to see if what I'm making is good? I'll have you know, mister, that _everything_ I make is good. And who says I'm making anything anyways? Just because it was your birthday _yesterday_ doesn't mean I'm just gonna' wait on you all week—"

"Alright, mom!" came Scott's voice from another room. "You don't need to haze him!"

Melissa smiled at Isaac's stunned face. "Sorry, I give Scott a hard time after every birthday. One year his father…well let's just say he was acting 'entitled' after his birthday years ago. I never let that one go and one year Scott did it. When he was just a kid. And ever since…"

Isaac only nodded, a slightly awkward smile appearing on his face as he tried to picture Scott just sitting around and ordering his mother around. That smile quickly changed from awkward to amused.

"Seriously, though, are you hungry?"

Isaac nodded.

"Good, 'cuz Scott convinced me to make my mother's enchilada recipe tonight. I heard you're a fan of a little Latin flavor?"

Isaac grinned and nodded again, thinking back to the accidental innuendo from just a few days ago.

"Well save your appetite. Grab something light downstairs." She gave him a final look and let him be, closing the door behind her.

— Ʌ | Ʌ | Ʌ —

"Boyd called," Isaac began as he walked into the kitchen, finding only Scott there, checking up on his mother's enchiladas in the oven. "Derek's alive. For certain."

"Is he hurt?"

Isaac shook his head. "He's healed up. Said he made it back to his apartment somehow and was able to heal throughout the night."

"But Boyd said he wasn't there yesterday," Scott said, his face clearly looking perplexed.

Isaac shrugged. "Maybe he wasn't when he checked. I dunno.' Don't really care." Isaac walked over to the refrigerator and retrieved an apple before sinking his teeth into it.

"But he's your—"

"We've been over this, Scott. No he's not. Not anymore. Not after he kicked me out."

Scott bit his tongue, knowing a useless argument when he sees one.

"Just consider me a werewolf in the market," Isaac said, smirking before he took a second bite.

— Ʌ | Ʌ | Ʌ —

While the weekend had been great, the week started out to be hell. Daytime: normal. Evening: nightmare. Scott had called from the hospital. Said the darach had attacked three more people: two doctors and possibly Danny. He explained the run-in with Ethan and pointed out that, while Danny had been attacked with mistletoe, that the Alpha Pack themselves were seemingly aiming to attack Lydia.

So when Scott and his mom arrived home together, Scott and Isaac immediately exchanged glances that they were kinda' on the same page. "We have to protect her…just in case," Scott said hushedly next to Isaac by the front door as Melissa went into the kitchen to unload.

"What do you have in mind?"

"Wait until she goes to bed. Keep guard inside."

— Ʌ | Ʌ | Ʌ —

"We totally suck at keeping guard," Isaac said after Melissa sent them out of the room.

"Don't you mean _you_ suck at keeping guard?" Scott smirked as they entered his room.

Isaac frowned. "Fine… _I_ suck at keeping guard." Isaac thought back to the dream he was having though, the one Melissa had interrupted. About he and Scott. In certain positions. In Scott's kitchen. In Scott's shower. Into Scott's bedroom. Onto Scott's bed. This was certainly getting rough for him. "Do you think it's safe to leave her alone today?" he finally asked when Scott entered his bathroom.

"We don't really have a choice," Scott said, toothbrush in mouth, shirt completely missing.

"I suppose. I guess I'll go get ready," Isaac said, standing to leave.

"Hey, thanks for helping me last night."

Isaac turned and smiled at Scott. "You got it, Scott."

After a short 15 minutes, Scott found Isaac standing in the kitchen, munching on a toaster strudel. "Boyd called again," he said, mouth full of the toasted pastry.

"Oh?" Scott muttered as he grabbed a piece of fruit from the bin in the refrigerator and a portable juice.

"He wants my help."

"With what?" Scott replied, digging his head from the refrigerator finally.

"With Derek."

Scott's eyebrow raised.

"The alphas are gonna' attack tonight."

Scott's face immediately made that classic _oh grand_ face. "I'm surprised you agreed."

"I'm not doing it for _him_ …I'm doing it for Boyd. Because he asked."

Scott nodded. "Do you need a ride? Isaac shook his head. "Alright. If anything changes…or you need me…call me."

Isaac smiled. "I will."


	5. Dreams Of Foresight

The heavy sliding door to Derek's loft slid open, Boyd and Isaac walking in. "Go back to school," came Derek's voice.

"Well actually we can't," Isaac retorted. "Boyd and I are, uh…incredibly and unbelievably sick." He looked around, noting that, of course, nothing had changed. He spotted Derek sitting on the rusty spiral staircase in the corner by the window.

"With what?" Derek began. "Brain damage?"

" _Asshole."_ Isaac thought. "Well," he pushed forward, "I have a migraine and, uh, Boyd here has, uh, explosive diarrhea."

"We're here to protect you," Boyd said, not joining the useless banter between his alpha and Isaac.

"You're here to protect _me_?" Derek said, annunciating himself with surprise as he walked down the staircase. "Well…I'm in trouble then."

"Well, actually, Boyd here came up with a plan," Isaac said, taking a seat on the table/desk and flipping through the book resting on its surface.

"Yeah," Boyd said, taking the cue, "I thought about the time Gerard had Erica and me locked up…tied up with electrical wires. Pushing current through us. I was wondering how we could do something like that." Boyd pulled out a monstrous coil of extension cords. "But on a bigger scale."

— Ʌ | Ʌ | Ʌ —

And just like that, the nightmare-status from the night before had escalated to 'total fucked up fucking hell.' One second, Boyd's plan had failed and Derek and Kali were at each other. Sparring in the light pool of water covering Derek's floor. The next, I received a text from Stiles and a glimmer of hope shined through. I rushed the twins, but they only released Ms. Blake and moved forward. But they stopped when the currents exploded through the water. I took Ms. Blake safely in my arms as I watched Derek and Kali crumble to the floor, Boyd quickly following as he attempted to come to Derek's aid. And that's when hell took over. In a mere moment, Boyd was dead.

Kali killed him. Not with her own force. But with her will. And her command. She had lifted Boyd onto Derek's claws, which the twins held upright. They forced Derek to 'kill' Boyd. I could only watch Kali and the twins recede from the room, Ms. Blake my priority but cursing that she was. Boyd should have been. He had been my brother through a lot, ever since Derek turned him after Erica and me. And now, he was dead.

I watched as Derek knelt there. Completely in shock. All three of us were, really. And then Cora and Stiles were there. And Lydia. It was Cora's cries that brought out my own emotions. That numb tingly feeling quickly built up behind my nose and eyes. And I was soon using Ms. Blake's shoulder as a shield to keep myself together. Boyd wasn't just dead.

My brother was dead.

— Ʌ | Ʌ | Ʌ —

When I finally walked into the house, Scott's room was the only light on. I slowly ascended the creaky staircase and found that the door was open. Inside, Scott was sitting cross-legged on his bed, staring out the window. I made to head for my own room when he stopped me.

"Isaac?" he beckoned.

I entered the doorframe of his room and one look at me was all it took. He immediately got up from the bed and wrapped his arms around me. My cheeks were red from the walk home, unable to hold back the tears and now they were long dry.

"Stay with me tonight," he said and I only nodded. He walked me over to the left side of his bed and I clambered in. He flipped the light off and soon he was up against me, he arm draped over me. Nothing more was said. And nothing need be said.

— Ʌ | Ʌ | Ʌ —

I spent the next day held up in my room. I didn't even go to school. I couldn't. Scott and Melissa both checked in on me. But the exchange…well it was as short as short could be. Most of the time I spent on my bed, laid out on my side or curled up against the corner. It didn't help that I couldn't find the key Scott had given me. In retrospect I know having it would have helped. I needed it now…and not knowing where it was made it hard to pick myself up.

— Ʌ | Ʌ | Ʌ —

" _Next time I'm killing all of you." Kali's voice now._

" _I told you to back off!" Scott. His eyes glowed red, his claws outstretched, ready to square off against her in the pool of water in Derek's apartment. Derek still knelt there, Boyd's body in the water. Kali made the first move, charging Scott and Scott rushing just after. As they neared, their outstretched claws began to close in on each other_.

Isaac shot upright, this time being woken by the closing of the front door. He looked out his window and it was raining. But the dampness on his forehead was obviously not from the precipitation. It was sweat. That dream had been different from the others. Much different.

_Knock. Knock. Knock._

"Come in," Isaac said, turning to drape his legs over the side of the bed to face his visitor.

"Hey," Scott said, a sad but reassuring smile appearing on his face as he walked in. The room was dark but the light from hallway forced pain into Isaac's eyes.

"Hey," Isaac replied weakly, scooting over more towards the wall.

"I have a couple things to tell you," Scott said, taking the seat next to Isaac, "but they can wait if you'd rather go back to sleep."

Isaac shook his head. "What's going on?"

"I just came from Allison's," Scott said.

"Oh," Isaac could only say, not heartened by the announcement.

"Gerard's alive," the brunette blurted out, his gaze from the floor immediately switching to Isaac's as he spoke. Isaac was only speechless, his static expression finally changing after a full day from depression to shock. "They've been keeping him locked up. He's still sick…from the bite. Allison brought me to him. After what happened at Derek's, she thought he might have something that could help us."

"And did he?"

"Possibly. But there's something else…something more important you need to know."

"Does Allison know?" Isaac hadn't meant to say that. Like the announcement about Gerard, it just came out.

But Scott didn't pick up on the disdain in Isaac's voice. Or at least he didn't acknowledge it. "No, she doesn't. Actually, it's something I just found out myself." Scott paused for a minute. "Deaton told me about it the night...two nights ago." He paused again, turning to look at the floor again. "Did Derek ever mention something called a 'True—"

"Boys?" came Melissa's voice from downstairs. "I could use a little help!"

"I'll tell you later," Scott said, patting Isaac's knee before hopping up to go help his mother. Isaac looked at his knee for a brief moment before hopping up himself. "What's all this?" Scott said, looking at the numerous grocery bags sitting in the foyer.

"Food for you guys," she said, "that you get to put away. I have to pull a couple extras next week so you'll need to fend for yourself." She smiled brightly at her son and then looked over Isaac. "Isaac, it's good to see you out and about."

"Uh, yeah," he replied.

"Might wanna' take a shower tonight, hun."

Isaac immediately looked down at the bags. "Mom," Scott complained, urging her to leave him alone. Isaac looked at Scott, who yanked his head back towards the kitchen. They picked up the bags and began to sort the various items into their respective places, most of them going in the refrigerator or the freezer. And before long, they were done.

Isaac made to head back upstairs when Scott stopped him. "Isaac," he began, "is there anything I can…anything I can do for you?"

Isaac turned to look into Scott's brown eyes. His lower lip only bunched up and he shook his head. He left the room and made his way into the shower upstairs. After a long warm and refreshing shower, he wrapped the towel around his waist and walked out. Seeing Scott's light now on in his room, he walked in and knocked on the door frame.

"Hey," Scott said, turning around in his computer chair, garbed in nothing but long sleep-pants.

"Hey," Isaac said, his eyes raking over the bare muscles. "There was something else you were going to tell me."

"Oh. Yeah. I'll tell you tomorrow. I'm actually just finishing something up and then I'm off myself."

"Alright," he said weakly. "Night, Scott."

"Night. Oh, and Isaac," he said, forcing Isaac to turn back around once again, "if there's anything you need, you where to find me."

Isaac nodded and returned to his room, closing the door behind him. There, sitting just under his bed in between his sneakers, laid the key. He smirked and picked it up, letting his towel drop in the process. He breathed out a heavy sigh and let his eyes close for a second, allowing his composure to return. He quickly dressed into a pair of boxer-briefs and laid the key on the nightstand next to him on top of the book he'd previously been reading, vowing to put a chain on the thing tomorrow to wear around his neck.


	6. The Boy Who Just Needed Distraction

_Knock. Knock. Knock._

"Come in," Isaac said, sitting on his bed in nothing but his boxer-briefs, his legs hanging over the side.

The door opened and a fully dressed Scott McCall entered. "Morning."

"Morning."

Scott looked Isaac over and grinned. "I take it you're not coming with me?"

Isaac shook his head, looking at Scott's face.

"Can you do me a favor? If you're up for it?"

"Depends on what it is," Isaac replied, smirking back at Scott.

"I know this is a lot to ask and I would ask anyone else to do it but—"

"What, Scott?" he said, standing up.

"Allison hasn't been to school for days. Would you mind checking to see if she's alright?"

Isaac's smirk dropped immediately. His heart sank just a little bit and a mild nausea appeared in his abdomen.

"I know she's not your favorite person. On account of the whole trying to kill you thing. But would you mind?"

Isaac let out a light sigh before nodding. "Because you asked nicely," he said, forcing a playful smile to show Scott he wasn't troubled over the request.

— Ʌ | Ʌ | Ʌ —

Isaac listened quietly as Chris Argent left Allison's room. She hopped out of bed and opened her closet. And then there was silence. He heard something fall to the floor and that's when he realized he'd been careless. When he'd managed to finally clamber onto Allison's balcony—via two other balconies and a rather large drain pipe—he'd accidentally knocked one of the doors slightly ajar. He leaned into close it and that's when he was hurled to the floor, face first. In all but two seconds he was flipped over another blade was brought to his throat, Allison's exacerbated face looking down at him as she hovered over his torso.

" _I can kinda' see why he likes her,"_ Isaac finally admitted, seeing a relatable fierceness he used to see in Erica, whom he once had a fling with.

"What do you think you're doing?" she said, not removing the knife even while acknowledging that it was him. Isaac stared up at her, his neck bared to the knife, an unintentional look of fear wrought across his face.

"You weren't at school," he breathed out.

"Scott send you to check up on me?" she said in an interrogating rush.

Isaac's breath stuttered and his eyes rolled before he said, "Maybe he's worried about you."

"I can take care of myself," she whispered out in a snarky tone.

"Yeah…I've noticed." He paused, looking at the blade. "More than once."

She smirked at him before clambering off of his abdomen and helping him up.

"Scott told me you're keeping Gerard here," Isaac blurted out.

"Did Scott tell you about how he scared him half to death?"

"Scott was fine when he came home last night?" Isaac said, confused.

"No…Scott scared Gerard."

"Oh. Really?"

Allison nodded, leading him out into her hallway. "But Gerard isn't the one I'm worried about right now. I think my dad's involved with the killings."

— Ʌ | Ʌ | Ʌ —

After several hours, which included suspecting Allison's father of being a mastermind and/or co-conspirator, finding the darach and Allison's dad shooting at the darach, finding a just recently dead Mr. Westover, and confirming that the next attack will be at tonight's recital, I actually found myself at school.

I followed Allison, who followed her father into the auditorium, only to see Scott looking back at me. I don't know why I followed the Argents instead of rejoining him, but I did. For some reason, it seemed that his previous request hadn't drawn to a conclusion just yet.


	7. Looking For Scott

"Isaac? Isaac?" Allison's voice.

I stood up straight and looked at the Argents. "Lydia," I said plainly. I was about to take off when the orchestra…something was wrong with them. The focus of their eyes. The clarity of their playing. The darkness ringing from the chorus. Something…and then it happened. The chord from inside the piano snapped and the piano teacher was dead before she hit the ground.

"Allison!" I heard Mr. Argent yell and I turned to see him moving, following after her as she made her way towards the stage. I followed as well. Moving through the crowd of scared people, I found the Argents at the stage in time to hear Allison.

"Mistletoe," she said plainly. I looked at the pool of blood to see the small pool of white; she was right.

"Lydia," I said again, looking at them both as they both turned around. "She's in trouble."

They moved and so did I, ahead of them both, hunting for the source of the shrilling shriek. It took me several minutes, but soon I found Lydia, standing in a dark classroom, looking at a teacher's rolling chair. "Lydia," Allison said first, rushing passed me and over to her side. "Lydia?" she said again when Lydia didn't say anything.

"They're…they're gone," she finally said as I moved in between her and the chair; she only continued to look at it as if my body couldn't obstruct her view.

"Who's gone?" Allison asked, pulling back from the hug she'd instigated.

"Lydia…have you seen Scott?" I asked.

"They're gone…"

"Lydia, who's gone?" I said rather forcefully.

Allison looked back at me before returning to Lydia. "Lydia…where're Scott and Stiles?"

"Gone."

I sighed heavily and looked around in frustration. That's when I noticed the gaping hole in the window. "Lydia…?"

"Gone."

I looked down and saw the gun. A police issue. "Lydia…whose is this?"

"They're gone."

"What happened to your neck?" Allison said, peering down and touching the girl's neck. "Dad," she said, calling him into the room, "go get some help. Something's happened to Lydia."

Mr. Argent looked at his daughter, then me, and then her again; he was clearly unsure if he should leave her alone with me. I looked over at Allison and saw her annoyed face; I smirked. He took off down the hall and that's when I smelled it. I looked behind me and noticed the collapsed chairs. "Something definitely happened here," I said, walking closer to the fallen chairs. I looked down and saw blood. I sniffed once. "Allison," I said, beckoning her over. She walked up next to me and peered down at the blood spat. "That's Scott's."

— Ʌ | Ʌ | Ʌ —

_Bzzz, bzzz. Bzzz, bzzz. Bzzz, bzzz. Bzzz, bzz—_ "We're sorry, the number you dialed cannot be reached at this time. Please leave a message after the ton—"

I hung up the call to Scott's phone and tried him again. Nothing. And then again…and again nothing. I closed my eyes and breathed out harder than I wanted, clutching the key chained around my neck hidden under my shirt. I scrolled up on my contacts and tried Derek. Again, nothing.

That's when Allison walked up next to me. "I can't get ahold of Derek or Scott," I said. "How's Lydia?"

"She's got bruising on her neck," she began. "They're taking her to a hospital downtown because Beacon Memorial's being evacuated."

"The storm's that bad?"

"It will be. I overheard an EMT saying the backup generators might be too old to last if the power goes out."

"Beacon Memorial…" I said, pausing, knowing that it was significant somehow. And then it dawned on me. "That's where Cora is, right?"

"I'm taking the two of you home," Mr. Argent said as he walked up to us.

"No, I have to get to the hospital; I can't leave Cora there with just Peter."

As I walked away, I heard Mr. Argent call after me. "Isaac," he said, and I turned. "I'll drive." Thunder struck again and that's when the power in the school went out.

— Ʌ | Ʌ | Ʌ —

As we closed in on Beacon Memorial, I saw Derek and Stiles' cars. I pulled the key out from under my shirt and kissed the wolf's head before slipping it back underneath and hopping out of the car. I rushed in behind Allison when I heard her father note that the evacuation must be over.

"Are you catching a scent?" Allison asked me as I slowed to look back at Stiles' jeep.

"No, not with the rain this heavy," I said, not wanting to admit what I was really stopping for. We slowly ventured into the hospital, passing the front reception desk when Mr. Argent snap-loaded his pistol. "I'm gonna' take that as a sign you're a little worried."

"Stay close to me," he said, which was odd given his history and the recent threat assessment back at the school.

Then I caught a noise. "Hahh, I think I heard something," I whispered, stopping.

"Where?" Allison asked.

"Below us," I said, lowering myself to the floor. My ear touched the cold ground and I could hear clanking footsteps and other mechanical noises. But definitely footsteps. I stood up and listened even more carefully. "There're someone above us, too." We hustled up the stairs to the second floor and slowly crept through hallways when we heard the footsteps. There were two sets. And they were both coming around the corner. "There's two," I said as quietly as I could to Mr. Argent. And as we rounded the corner, I saw Scott. I felt my heart beat rather harshly against the key against it.

— Ʌ | Ʌ | Ʌ —

"So then they're essentially trapped?" Mr. Argent began as the five of us hurried into an abandoned room.

"Yeah, right," Scott said.

"But there's no way of getting them out without turning the power back on," I said.

"Wa-wa-wa-wa-wait," Melissa interjected. "But if there power's back on then they're gonna' hear the elevator moving, right?"

"And then they'll be on Jennifer and Derek as soon as it stops," Scott added. "We can't get in a fight with them."

"Well you've got us now," Mr. Argent said, looking at Allison, though rather worriedly.

"It's too much to risk," Scott said. "They want her dead, and if she dies then there's nothing we can do for Stiles' dad or Cora."

"I don't even think I know which teacher this is," Mr. Argent said.

"She's the one with the brown hair. She's kinda' hot." As soon as it left my mouth I swore inside. Maybe it was subconsciousness trying to get Scott to _not_ realize I was worried about him? To be honest, I have no idea and they're reaction was fitting: they all turned to look at me. "It's, uh, just, it's just an observation." _That_ was the truth…but a little too late.

"I've got an idea," Allison suddenly said.

— Ʌ | Ʌ | Ʌ —

I soon found myself sitting in the front seat of the Mr. Argent's SUV. I plugged my phone into the dash holder and saw Allison's name pop up on the screen. I touched the green icon and her face appeared. "You ready?" she asked.

I exhaled and looked forward. "Yeah."

"You aren't nervous are you?"

"Do I look nervous?" I said, looking down at the phone.

"No, not at all." She placed the phone into position and I heard her dad's voice.

"Did he look nervous?" he asked.

"Terrified," she replied.

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, I can still hear you. Very, very clearly."

"Just go as soon as you see them," she said, looking back into the phone's micro-camera.

"Yeah," I said, looking forward. "Yeah I got it." I pulled out the little key again and kissed it once more, returning it beneath my shirt.

A few minutes passed and I heard footprints. And then Allison was rounding the corner. Hot on her heels were the twins. I picked up the phone and threw it into the passenger's seat while starting the car. I shifted into 'Drive' and sped off, making my way for the garage. I soon pulled up alongside the ambulance Peter, Stiles, and Cora were supposed to be in and hopped out of the car, Peter and Stiles moving just before me.

"Alright, c'mon, c'mon, c'mon," I said, rushing around to the other side of the car to open it for Cora's limp form which dangled in Peter's arms. We helped her in head first, Peter moving around to the other side so her head could rest in his lap. As I turned to head back for the driver's seat I saw Stiles staring at the ambulance door. "Stiles, let's go!" I called after him, dancing around to the door. I watched him, not quite getting in. He looked back at me, then to the door, then back at me, and took off to head back into the hospital. "Stiles!"

I hopped in and threw the gear into 'Reverse,' waiting for Stiles who was _hopefully_ bringing Scott and Melissa back with him. "C'mon, we gotta' go," Peter said hurriedly from behind me. "Drive you idiot."

"I can't, not without Scott," I said desperately, my grip tightening on the gear shift, my gaze unbroken from the door appearing on the SUV's rear-view video camera. And then there were gunshots. Four of them.

"C'mon, do you want the Argents dead, too? Make your choice." I wasn't going to go, but then I saw Ethan and Aiden appear on the screen. "Oh, for the love of God, go! Nowww!"


	8. Pact Between Two

_"Oh, for the love of God, go! Nowww!"_ I slammed on the accelerator, and then the break, shifting back to 'Drive' and sped off out of the garage, making my way to the front of the hospital.

We pulled up, the braking car screeching a little on the pavement. "You see the twins?" I asked Peter.

"No. But I see the Argents."

I looked forward and saw Mr. Argent and Allison appear from behind the ambulance. And then a haunting howl resounded through the air. "Not to bring up uncomfortable memories but, wasn't the last time you saw them the time you killed Kate and they burned you alive? Hm?" I looked back to see a vacant seat. I hopped out to meet the Argents and return the drivers' seat to Mr. Argent.

"Where're the others?" Allison asked.

"I dunno.' Scott and Stiles went back for Derek and Jennifer; I had to get Cora out." I heard a car coming and turned to see Derek's SUV pulling up.

He hopped out and looked at me. "Where's Scott and Stiles?" Allison asked him.

"Stiles is still at the hospital," he began, walking to the Argent's car to get his sister. "He's gonna' hold off the cops for us."

"We have to go right now," I said, closing the door behind him.

"What about Scott and Melissa?" Mr. Argent asked as Derek carried Cora to his own car, me opening the door for _her_.

"Jennifer took Melissa," Derek said, laying Cora gently in the backseat. It took me a minute to process what he said before my heart began to speed up.

"What about Scott?" Allison asked. And when he didn't answer and moved to leave, her tone became more hurried. "Derek, where's Scott?"

He looked back at Allison. "He left with Deucalion," he said, his tone mixed with worry and frustration. He looked at me and then got in the driver's seat. I hopped in the back, taking Peter's former role, laying Cora's head in my lap.

"He went with Deucalion?" I asked.

"That's what Stiles told me." He slammed on the accelerator and before long we quietly found ourselves at his loft. When I opened the sliding door, we found Peter standing just inside, having prepared a bed for his niece.

— Ʌ | Ʌ | Ʌ —

After sitting around for nearly half an hour, the sun began to rise over Beacon Hills. Damn had it been a long night. I walked over to Derek, who was intently and helplessly watching over his sister's limp form.

"She's dying, isn't she?" I asked, looking at her struggle.

"I dunno,'" he said, worriedly.

"So what're we gonna' do?" I asked, my temper rising slightly. My former alpha, just sitting there. Helpless…no…useless.

"I dunno,'" he finally said again.

I turned and shuffled, my temper starting to seep through my body. I couldn't even look at him. "You wanna' figure something out? Because while Scott and Stiles were out there trying to help people from being killed, you were in here, rolling around the sheets with the actual killer." I couldn't believe what was pouring over my lips. But it had to be said. The rage I'd felt towards Derek since he kicked me out those weeks ago. It was all pouring out. But the worst of it…all I could think about was Scott. How Derek's inaction could get Scott killed. Finally I brought myself to look at him though, his gaze not once shifting from Cora. I could see his eyes…they were wrought with fear. "Do you get how many people she's killed?" I continued. "Erica and Boyd are dead. Cora is dying. And you are doing nothing!" I pulled myself up, feeling the urge to do something I'd regret. I pulled back my rage, thinking of Scott _not_ in a dire situation, and stared down at him, my insides subsiding to pity almost. "Why do you do this to us, Derek? Is it all about the power? Are you bored?" Pity was soon turning to worry. Worry for Scott. Worry for the future. The one that could do something was just sitting there, letting me of all people lay into him. I bent down, our faces almost on the same level. "Are you lonely?"

Finally, that hit something in him. But clearly not hard. He turned a little, looking up at me. "Maybe." That was it. That's all he said. I couldn't believe what was happening. I headed for the door, no longer even wanting to associate myself with this. "I told Cora I wouldn't leave," he said. "I'll help the others when I figure out how to help her."

"There's no time!" I screamed. I stomped up the couple stairs and turned once more to face him, his back still to me. "The full moon's coming. The Sherriff and Melissa are gonna' be dead so I'm gonna' try and help them." I yanked the door open. "You can sit here and perfect the art of doing nothing." I slammed it closed and walked off down the hallway.

As fuming as I was, I couldn't help but overhear Peter. "I wouldn't take it personally," he said. "Anger is just a tool." I would have continued on—ignored him had he not said this: "He's using it to excuse shifting allegiance from one alpha to another." I stopped dead in my tracks, halfway down the hall from Derek's loft to the elevator. I stopped and listened intently. "From you to Scott?"

" _What the hell?"_

"Scott's not an alpha yet," Derek said.

"But he's on his way, isn't he?"

" _Scott? On his way. Alpha. The hell?"_ I took off quickly, trying to make up ground. I had to find Stiles. He would know what was going on with Scott; he always did.

— Ʌ | Ʌ | Ʌ —

When I finally caught Stiles' scent, it was at the Argent apartment complex, not too far from Derek's.

"I thought you guys were retired." Stiles' voice.

"Retired, yes. Defenseless, no." Mr. Argent's voice. "And make sure your phone's on. If you hear from Scott you let us know immediately." _Scott.._.

I slowly opened the unlocked door and looked down the hall, careful not to have another dagger at my throat. "Yeah, I'm think that's gonna' be kind of unlikely." Stiles again.

"Both of you try to remember, he's just trying to do what he thinks is right." I'll try to keep that in mind when I see Scott…hopefully that keeps me from killing him for going with Deucalion.

The door behind me closed a little louder than I wanted it to. _Screw it_. I appeared in the door way and all eyes were on me. "I can't shoot a gun or use a crossbow, but, well I, I'm getting pretty good with these." I held up my hand and my claws flung out.

— Ʌ | Ʌ | Ʌ —

Stiles went to the school to find Lydia and I went with the Argents to the Bank. To the vault. Where Erica died. Where Boyd and Cora were kept prisoner. _That_ vault. Mr. Argent opened the vault door and we walked in.

"It's empty," Allison noted aloud.

"Be careful anyway," Mr. Argent replied, extending his shock stick. I looked down at it and then at him.

"I thought you only used those on werewolves," I said, confused.

"I do," he said right before jamming it into my rib. My body spasmed with pain, my fangs forced out as I crumbled to the ground. All my focus fleeted from me. I was conscious, but only barely. I heard the Argents arguing above me. But that was only shadowed by a new voice. I thought it was Jennifer's at the time, and I was right. And then I heard her screech. That deathly wail.

It took almost fifteen minutes for me to regain control of my body. I slowly rose to my feet and found no sign of Mr. Argent or the darach. I limped over to Allison began to pull on the chain of her cuffs, willing one of the links to bend. Finally, a link released and she stumbled into me.

"Why did he do that?" she said helplessly, betrayal clearly eating at her.

"I dunno,'" I whispered, looking down at her, completely unnerved by the betrayal as well. Our best chance to find Melissa and the Sherriff had just betrayed us. And that meant Scott...shit…Scott could find himself in even more danger. Come even closer to losing his mother. I couldn't let that happen. Not to _him._ "We need to go. Okay, we need to help." She grabbed my forearm, her emotions quickly unraveling before me. I grabbed her's back, trying to show that things were going to work out. "Allison. Allison we have to go."

She looked hauntingly into my eyes. "They're all gonna' die…aren't they?" I pulled her into me, needing her to pull herself together. I needed her to be alright, so we could help the one real denominator between us: Scott.

— Ʌ | Ʌ | Ʌ —

I finally got a call from Stiles and Allison redirected her father's car to the clinic. When we entered the building, we found Lydia, Stiles, and Deaton waiting inside. Deaton went to check on something and I positioned myself against the brick wall. When Deaton reentered the room, the conversation, which must have started without us, continued.

"It has to be on a telluric current," Stiles continued, "or maybe even at the axis of two. Or where they all intercept. And I just, I know this is where Derek took Paige to die."

"My dad and Gerard were there once," Allison began, "but Gerard said it was years ago and couldn't remember where it was. And my dad obviously isn't here to tell us now."

"Yeah…mine neither," Stiles said.

"Then how do we find this place?" I said. We all looked at Deaton, obviously the mysterious wise man amongst us.

"There might be a way, but it's dangerous." He looked at us. "We're gonna' need Scott."

— Ʌ | Ʌ | Ʌ —

As much as I wanted to go with, Deaton asked me to help Lydia and Allison set up the three containers much like the one I had been submersed in weeks ago. Water. Ice. _Mistletoe_. They got back before we could get all the ice in and Deaton excused Allison to go find something memorable of her dad. We continued preparations, trying to make this makeshift ritual go as right as possible when the trio returned.

"Alright," Deaton began. "What did you bring?"

"Umm," Stiles began shakily, "I got my dad's badge. Jennifer kinda' crushed it…in her hand. So I tried hammering it out a bit but, it still doesn't look great. Um…"

"It doesn't need to look good if it has meaning," Deaton reassured.

"Is that an actual silver bullet?" I asked, noting the glisten in Allison's hand.

"Yeah my dad made it," Allison said. "It's kind of a ceremonial thing. When one of us finishes learning all the skills to be a hunter we forge a silver bullet as a testament to the code."

"Scott?" Deaton said.

"My dad got my mom this watch when she first got hired at the hospital. She used to say it was the only thing in her marriage that ever worked."

"Okay," Deaton continued, "the three of you will get in and each of us will hold you down until you're essentially…well…dead. But it's not just someone to hold you under; it needs to be someone who can pull you back. Someone that has a strong connection to you. A kind of emotional tether."

Allison looked from Scott to Deaton, slightly confused. "Are you sure, I mean Scott and I both have to go under?"

Deaton only moved his head slightly. "Lydia, you go with Allison." He turned and looked at me. "Isaac, you with Scott." He moved closer to me.

"How do you and Stiles fit?" Scott asked, looking from Deaton to Stiles.

"Deaton's, uh, he's been sorta' teaching me. For a couple weeks now. Like a mentor."

"Like your Yoda?" Scott said.

"Yeah," Stiles snorted, looking down at the ground, the small joke helping to ease us from the darkness that was about to be upon us. "Yeah, like my Yoda."

We all looked at Deaton, who gave us all a reassuring bunch of his lower lip. "Let's begin." Stiles, Scott, and Allison stripped down to some of their lighter garments and lined up at the basins, Scott on the left, Stiles in the middle, and Allison on the right. They slowly began to step into them, their reactions much similar to my own from when I tried to find Boyd and Erica. They got more comfortable, only their necks and heads not submerged (except for Scott, whose arms clung to the sides).

Stiles turned to Scott and said, "By the way, uh, if I don't make it back and you do, you should know something. Your dad's in town." Scott's breathing picked up a little, his heart beginning to beat a little faster.

They each exchanged looks between them, Scott giving them both a final reassuring nod. We each walked up behind them, rolling up our sleeves. I placed my hands on Scott's shoulders, his body shaking erratically. He lowered his arms into the basin and he looked frightened. I squeezed reassuringly before pushing him under. His eyes were closed and it killed me to see him like this.

I looked over at Deaton and Lydia was doing the same. I looked down at Scott when his hand grabbed up at mine, gripping tightly onto my hand holding him under. I watched as his eyes opened, the gorgeous yellow looking right up at me. And that's when I saw tendrils of darkness inching around his face. I hope we're doing the right thing, 'cuz I need Scott to come back to me.


	9. Dawn After The Blood Moon

_Fifteen minutes after submersion:_ I blinked for the first time since Scott's hand went limp and his touch left my own.

 _Thirty minutes after submersion:_ Lydia walked over and sat next to me. I was in the corner of the room, wrapped up in on myself. She rested her head against my shoulder, her breathing even but her heartbeat a little unsteady. I leaned my head over against hers.

 _Two hours after submersion:_ Deaton and I got into it. I accused him of killing Scott. Of killing the one person whose trust and loyalty should never be betrayed. I accused him of doing something that, in my mind, I knew he would never do. That he hadn't done. But I was scared. I didn't want to lose Scott. I couldn't.

 _Seven hours after submersion:_ I woke up suddenly and the morning sun was already above the horizon. I had another dream about Scott. About his glowing red eyes and his duel with Kali. But in the water, it wasn't Boyd's body that Derek was leaning over. It was Scott's. Yes, there were two Scotts in the dream. And all my mind could think about was the one lying dead in the cold water in Derek's apartment.

 _Eight and half hours after submersion:_ I was leaning against Scott's basin, my hands aching from the thin metal cutting into my palms. I was looking at Scott's peaceful face from the foot-end of the basin. My eyes burned from my constant attempts at pushing back tears. It had been too long. He was gone. He wasn't coming back. Not this time. Even though Deaton told us to keep faith. To contain our patience. I knew he was wrong. Scott was dead.

 _Nine hours after submersion:_ I caught myself praying to the God I had abandoned—or had abandoned me—after my mom died. I was reciting the same prayer, too, the one I plead to bring my mother home. That I'd give anything to have her back. Even just for a moment. Even just to say 'I love you' one last time. But this time, it was about Scott. Since he'd left with Deucalion, my emotions have been rampant. Anger, of course, had been the first one to arise. But that quickly subsided and my worry for him came through. And that worry confirmed what I'd been wondering for weeks now: how deep are my feelings for Scott? The answer: I'm almost certain I love him.

 _Ten and a half hours after submersion:_ I lost count the number of pleas I'd made. My nose was stuffed and it was tingly from the constant crusade against the tears. I remember sighing rather heavily and I felt a hand on my shoulder. It was Deaton, calling a truce with coffee and lunch he must have picked up. I knew he wasn't the enemy, that he was doing the only thing he'd ever done: help. And this time, my mind won over my anguishing heart. I took the peace-offering and we exchanged a knowing look.

 _Sixteen hours after submersion:_ Lydia just went back inside. I've been out here for a while, just sitting up against the side of the wall. Watching the sun fall—it was just under the tree tops now. Its heat had long abandoned us. And the moon…the blood moon was slowly and dimly coming into sight. I was twiddling the key in my fingers when I heard it. A heart beat spike. And then another. And then another. I raced back in to find all three of them fully awake and highly motivated.

"I saw it. I know where it is," Scott spoke first, clambering out of the basin.

"We passed it," Stiles began. "There was this stump. Huge tree. Well not huge anymore—it was cut down. But still big. Very big."

"It was the night we were looking for the body," Scott added, looking at his best friend.

"The same night you were bit by Pete," Stiles confirmed.

"I was there, too, in the car with my mother," Allison finally spoke. "We almost hit someone."

"It was me," Scott said. "You almost hit me." He turned to Deaton and said, "We can find it." We all looked at Deaton, Lydia and I clearly wanting him to break the news.

"What?" Allison asked.

When Deaton looked back at me, I resigned. "You guys were out a long time," I said, making eye contact with Scott for the first time in 16 hours.

"How long's a long time?" Stiles asked, looking from Scott to Deaton.

"Sixteen hours," Deaton answered regrettably.

"We've been in the water for 16 hours?" Scott said.

"And the full moon rises in less than four," Deaton said.

"Then we have to get moving," Allison said. "We need a plan, and fast." She looked at Scott.

"The four of you," Scott began, looking at me, "find the Nemeton. Get my mom and your dads out of the root cellar. I'm gonna' tell Deucalion that I've found it, but that we need to face Jennifer elsewhere."

"No dude, you're not going back with them," Stiles said, towel in hand.

"I made a deal with Deucalion," Scott said.

"Does anyone else think that sounds like a deal with the devil?" Stiles said.

"Why does it matter anyway?" I said from my seat next to/behind Scott.

"Because," he began, looking back at me, "I still don't think we can beat Jennifer without their help."

"He trusts you more than anyone," Allison said. "Tell him he's wrong."

"I'm not so sure he is," Deaton replied, and all but Scott looked at him in slight shock. "Circumstances like this sometimes require that you align yourself with people you'd normally consider enemies."

"So we're gonna' trust him?" I said, ready to have another go with the druid. "The guy that calls himself 'Death: Destroyer of Worlds.' We trust that guy?"

"I wouldn't trust him, no," Deaton replied frustratingly calm. "But you could use him to your advantage. Deucalion may be the enemy, but he could also be the bait."

We all exchanged looks when we heard the front door open and close. Deaton moved first, followed by Scott, Lydia, me, and Stiles. "I'm looking for Lydia," I heard a familiar voice say: one of the twins.

"What do you want?" she said calmly.

"I need your help," Ethan? said.

"With what?" Stiles answered protectively for her.

"Stopping my brother, and Kali. From killing Derek."

— Ʌ | Ʌ | Ʌ —

With the arrival of Ethan, the plan changed a little: we were hoping Lydia would be able to act like a special compass of sort but now we needed something else. Another edge. Like a scent to hone in on.

First thing's first, though, Allison needed to gear up. Hence, Stiles is getting something for us to smell and Scott, Allison, and I are at her apartment. "Just grab anything," Scott said into his phone as the elevator dinged and the door opened onto the floor of their apartment. "Stiles, I'm not smelling your dad's boxers," he said after a pause; I couldn't help but snort a little. "Socks? Okay I'll smell his socks."

"What about me?" I said, looking to my alpha—we still needed to have 'that conversation.'

"See what you can find in my dad's closet," Allison began, letting us in. "Anything with a strong scent."

She walked into her father's office and I heard an unfamiliar voice speak. "Quite an arsenal your father's got here, young lady." Scott approached first, me cautiously following behind and staying out of sight, ready to pull him back if necessary—there were two additional heartbeats in the room other than the voice's. "Scott," the voice acknowledged him, sending more alarms up.

"What are you doing here?" Scott asked.

"Following one of the only leads I have," the voice replied. "Now since I don't know where you've been why don't you have a seat and we can talk." It paused. "You, too, Isaac," the voice called and instantly my heart broke out into a sprint.

"How do you know my name?" I said, getting my first look at the voice.

"Your name's one of the few things I know," he said. FBI. "To be honest, the rest of what's going on around here has me…stumbling in the dark. Even under the smallest scope."

"If you're trying to tell me you don't have a clue," Scott said, stepping forward, "I learned that a long time ago."

"I'm really hoping to avoid the embarrassment of dragging my own son into an interrogation room," he said.

" _Son!?"_

"Really hoping," Agent McCall said, both Allison and I looking shocked at the back of Scott's head. We each took a seat on the near-side of the office, Allison in a chair to my left, Scott in a chair to my right. I was forced to take a seat on an end table. "I'm not gonna' lie," Scott's dad began, me taking out a pack of ice breakers in my pocket. "I'm more than a little disturbed, not only by the number of missing parents but the fact that it's Stiles' father, your father, and your mother." I popped one in and nervously began to suck on it and twiddle it between my teeth.

I looked at Scott, then up at Scott's dad and raised my hand. "Mine are both dead," I said, popping another ice breaker in.

"Save the cliché teenaged apathy for your high school teachers—the three of you know more than you're saying and I'm fully willing to keep you here all night if I have to."

I looked at Agent McCall and then down at Scott again, his eyes transfixed on something on the desk. "You can't keep us here," Scott said, his heart beat beginning to race. I knew that particular rhythm, the one where our rage begins to take control.

"Not without some kind of warrant," Allison added.

"I've got a desk full of probable cause," Scott's dad said, looking from the strewn out arsenal to Allison.

"My father," Allison began, standing, "is a highly respected private security consultant and federally licensed firearms dealer: that means he has to own a few weapons. Like this," she said, pointing to the crossbow nearest to her, "175 lbs. draw tactical crossbow." I looked at Agent McCall and saw him shifting, nervous and impressed at the same time. "Or this carbon-steel Marine combat knife. .58E Desert Eagle." She smirked and picked up a silver can. "Smoke grenade with pull-ring igniter." Suddenly, she pulled it and tossed it towards Scott's dad and the two BHPD officers. "Go," she ordered and darted out the door. I quickly followed, Scott hot on my heels.

Amongst the coughing, I heard Scott's father call after him. "Scott, wait!"

— Ʌ | Ʌ | Ʌ —

We managed to speed off without the authorities catching or following us. Trying to make up for time lost, Allison was speeding ahead of us…really speeding. I looked down at the speedometer on Scott's motorcycle: 80 mph in a 45. I gripped onto him a little tighter, my helmetless cheek flush against his back.

Finally, we pulled up to the Beacon Hills Preserve and parked in front of the chain-gated sign. We dismounted as Allison got out of her car and Allison spoke first. "You okay?"

"I didn't know what to say to him; I couldn't come up with anything," Scott replied. "But what you did, that was awesome."

"I still haven't gotten anything from Stiles," I said, phone in hand, looking at Scott. "You?"

"I don't get it," Scott said.

"Alright," I began, "well we can't wait for him. C'mon."

We walked up to the cliff overlooking Beacon Hills. I looked down over the numerous yellow lights, then up at the storm concealing the bottom third of the blood moon.

"Cutting it a little close, aren't we Scott?" came _that_ voice. Deucalion's voice.

"We got a little delayed," Scott answered. "Where're the others?"

"Occupying themselves with other pursuits," the mastermind replied, his heart blipping. He'd lied.

"So it's just you and me against her?" Scott asked.

"I think you'll be surprised, what a good team we make," Deucalion confirmed.

"Okay," Scott turned to me, his voice lowering. "Get Stiles. And then get to the root cellar. We'll keep Jennifer away long enough for you to get them out of there."

"How're you gonna' do that?" I asked.

"I have a plan," Scott said, giving me a knowing look, the same one Scott gave Gerard when he told the old man about having a plan of his own. When Gerard checked his pills right before he vomited up all that black blood.

— Ʌ | Ʌ | Ʌ —

We split up, Scott going with Deucalion, me with Allison. We were looking for the Nemeton, almost blindly, and the storm over head was getting increasingly worse. The lightning more ferocious. The wind more violent.

"Are you sure we're going in the right direction?" I asked, following Allison in the dark.

"I know we're near it," she answered. "Do you think you can pick up a scent?"

"I'm trying, but I can't—" That's when I heard it. A noise…somewhat familiar. But dimmer. Lighter. She looked back at me because I'd stopped. "I hear something. It's a…it's an emitter. It's one of your dad's."

"Are you sure?" she asked, looking up at me.

"It has to be." I took off and she followed, my ears leading the way now. "C'mon." And suddenly, there it was. The same large stump Stiles described when he first got out of the basin. We both looked around and that's when I saw it. The cellar doors. "Allison." She followed my gaze. We ran over to it and ripped the doors open, Allison going first.

"My God," I heard her say as she knelt down in front of her dad. Immediately I went over to Melissa, the woman I'd grown to love like a mother of my own.

"Where's Stiles?" Sheriff Stilinski began next to me as I worked on Melissa's ropes. "Where's my son?"

"And Scott?" she asked.

"They're coming," I answered, looking away from the ropes for a moment. "They're on their way to help."

"Okay," Melissa answered as I returned to the tough and hardened ropes, my claws not cutting through as easily as they should. Some of the ground above began to cave in and I knew I had to hurry.

I finally cut through and began to unravel the ropes around her, Allison having already moved onto the Sheriff, letting her dad unravel himself.

"Hurry!" I yelled as more and more of the stone and dirt began to collapse in around us.

"C'mon, let's get out of here," the Sheriff said, just in time to watch our only exit collapse: the stairs. We began to hunch under the other parts of the foundation, looking at other holes that have collapsed in, hoping one would provide some promise of getting out.

"It's blocked," Mr. Argent said, looking at another one. "What do you see? Anything?" I shook my head, looking up through a small hole next to the beam above me. "Look out!" he called as another piece of the wall began to fall over, taking away even more of the cellar's support. We all began to move backwards, away from the wall and even further away from our original entrance.

"Isaac!" Allison called as I fell over, a giant slab almost falling on top of me. But there was the Sheriff, pulling me back by the jacket, tossing me onto the ground next to Melissa. I looked up and saw the same wooden beam began to break. I had to do something. I stood and grabbed onto it, my werewolf strength quickly starting kick in as I felt more and more of the ground above me beginning to give in. I could feel my eyes begin to shift as my vision began to redden, the pressure of the weight beginning to become too great for just me.

"Is it me or is this place getting smaller?" I said, trying to take my mind off the pain in my shoulders. I felt the sweat build from the moment my eyes shifted. Suddenly, the beam collapsed a little from my change of focus. As I reapplied myself, the weight only began to hurt even more than before.

More time passed and that's when I felt it: the eclipse was beginning. But there was the Sheriff _again_ , kneeling down, holding up the lower end of the beam. "I can't do it. I can't hold it. I can't hold it," I called as it began to collapse even more, everyone else quickly stepping in to brace it. But it wasn't enough and the beam was gonna' collapse. Until it didn't. Until it stopped. Held up a little longer by the metal bat Stiles had placed between the beam and the ground.

"I always said aluminum was better than wood," the Sheriff said and they embraced each other. But the rubble was still coming down and we needed something dramatic to shift in our favor. And soon.

" _C'mon, Scott,"_ I thought, patting the key beneath my sweat-laced shirt.

Another minute or two passed and I caught Melissa looking at me. "He's coming. I promise," I said. She smiled at me and I pulled her into my side, ready to shield her if need be. But then the eclipse was over, and I felt my strength returning to me. In moments, the storm stopped. We heard it, we felt it. The lightning stopped, the wind ceased, and the rubble only began to fall in handful-sized bits.

"Is it over?" Allison said first.

The Sheriff and Stiles began to laugh and I heard Melissa sigh in relief next to me. I looked at her and she smiled brightly at me, both of us knowing Scott had pulled through for us.

Suddenly, Stiles whipped out his buzzing phone. "Scott?" he asked.

"Hey. You okay?" I heard Scott's dim voice.

"Yeah, we're okay. We're all okay. How 'bout you, you okay?"

"Sort of."

"You think you can come get us?"

"Yeah, of course."

"Great, okay. Uh…uh, bring a ladder."

— Ʌ | Ʌ | Ʌ —

I watched Scott enter one of the side doors of Beacon Hills High School, his face slightly disgruntled. I couldn't tell what was wrong exactly, but his lips soon formed a slight smile when his eyes landed on Aiden and Lydia, the pair standing against the lockers on the right. His eyes shifted onto Ethan and Danny walking out of the classroom on the left, hands locked. They shifted again onto Allison walking down the stairs on the left, laughing into the phone to her ear.

And then his eyes landed on me. I was leaning against the window in the back, allowing the full sunlight shine onto me, the key resting _atop_ my green sweatshirt. His smile widened even more and I thought back to last night, after we finally got home. I looked right into his eyes and smirked, watching Stiles come up to him and grip his best friend's shoulders. They exchanged a look and began to walk down the hallway, Scott's gaze reuniting with my own. I smiled and last night's memory seemed to play out like a movie in my head—I was hoping it played just as well in his.

Last night would forever be ingrained in me, the first night that he kissed me…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, first off I'd like to thank all those who favorited, followed, and reviewed this story. This has been a blast to work on and I appreciate all the feedback in all three forms. Second, I have been asked about the future of this and so here's my answer. ɅɅɅ will go on hiatus until the return the Winter premiere on January 6. This story is tied directly to the show so there're too many open ends for me to continue writing until then. And even that comes with some caveats as a) I'm starting classes again for the Fall and Spring so we'll see if I have time to write, b) the new storyline may be too inhibiting since they're pushing Allison and Isaac together (we'll see if its workable…I don't wanna' make any calls until I see the first two episodes). That said, I've got several other projects I'm working on: a TW/WWZ crossover and I've got plans for one, maybe two 1Shots of Scisaac so stay tuned. Again, thank you all and I look forward to any/welcome all reviews, but I'd love to hear about this chapter too since it is much longer than all the other chapter and it's a 'concluding' chapter. So for this, see you all in January!
> 
> BTW, as I've been editing this chapter before posting it, I've thought about an epilogue/extra scene that would be the night after the battle with Jennifer. Where Scott kisses him. Depending on the response I get, I may post it sooner rather than waiting until January ;)


	10. Interlude

The last bell of the day finally rang and Isaac hurried from his history classroom to Scott's bike. He passed by Stiles on the way, who was on his way to talk to Coach Finstock. Stiles reminded him of the dinner gathering at his and his father's later that night; the McCalls, Stilinskis, and Argents were going to have a homey get-together to take a big exhale after surviving the Darach-Alpha Pack war that had only just ended the night before. Deaton was invited as well.

Isaac finally made it to Scott's bike, only to not find him there. He rolled up his long green sleeves and leaned against the empty bike rack in front of Scott's bike. Off to the right, Isaac watched Ethan press Danny up against a tree and kiss him just as Aiden walked up. The couple exchanged smiles before the twins began to make their way over to Isaac, their twin black bikes parked next to Scott's bike. They only exchanged truce-laden looks before mounting their bikes and taking off. Isaac looked back over at Danny, who had a wide smile across his face as he made his way to his car. Isaac wished he could have that. And given what had ensued last night, he may well just be starting to have that.

Isaac's gaze locked on to a tiny pebble-sized dent on the front of Scott's bike. He thought back to last night…again. The memory seemed to be on loop in his brain all day. Biology. Economics. Chemistry. History. Didn't matter. Last night would be with him for a while:

_Scott arrived relatively shortly after he and Stiles got off the phone. The ladder he brought was more than sufficient in getting them out and they all got out safely; Deaton brought the ladder which cut in on the time. After a brief farewell and making of plans for dinner the next night, Allison and her father went off into her car, Melissa and the Stilinskis went with Deaton in his car, and Isaac hopped on the back of Scott's motorcycle while he drove them home._

_When Scott and Isaac walked in the door, it had been the first time anyone had been home for several nights; Scott had been with the Alpha Pack and Isaac with the Argents and Derek (they, of course, didn't know that Scott's dad had been by—not that it was his home anymore). Scott began to walk through the downstairs, turning on each light as he moved into the kitchen. Isaac followed, hoping to talk to Scott about everything he wanted and needed to._

" _Scott?" Isaac said, watching Scott silently rummage through the refrigerator, only to emerge with a soda he'd found in the back of one of the shelves._

" _Upstairs," Scott said. Isaac nodded and turned, making his way up to Scott's room, the darker skinned boy right behind him._

" _Um, maybe I, uh, I should shower first?" Isaac said in front of his own door across from Melissa's, noting his sweat soaked and minor-rubble-clad shirt. Scott smirked and nodded, heading down to his own room as Isaac moved to take a shower. He emerged in only a short time, dressed in longer pajamas Melissa had given him: a plain navy blue V-neck t-shirt and long flannel navy blue and white-polka-dot pants. He knocked on Scott's cracked door and opened when beckoned inside. He found Scott lying flat on his back on his bed, yet to change from his grey shirt and blue jeans._

" _Mom should be home any minute," Scott said, his eyes closed. "Stiles just texted me," he added._

" _Are you alright?" Isaac asked, noting Scott's enigmatic position._

" _I feel…" Scott didn't finish._

_Isaac took a seat on Scott's bed at the end next to his right foot. "What?"_

" _Rage. Coldness. Consumed. What Deaton told me I'd feel."_

_Isaac reached out and placed a hand on Scott's shin. He heard Scott gasp and then Scott was propping himself up on his elbows. "What?" Isaac said again when Scott wouldn't stop staring at him._

" _I just…what Deaton said…about 'someone to pull you back.'"_

" _Oh…" Isaac said, looking down at where his hand rested._

" _So…I guess there's a conversation we never finished…that we probably should…especially now all of this is over." Isaac looked back up at Scott and only looked away when Scott scooted to sit at the end of the bed next to Isaac. "What do you wanna' know first?"_

" _Tell me about the fight with Jennifer," Isaac said after a few seconds, thinking that to be a better starting place than any other._

_So Scott did. He walked him through from the moment he left Isaac with Allison. He told him about the video message in the distillery. About Derek joining Jennifer and Derek's truthful claim that he was doing it to save Scott. About Deucalion's transformed state and Jennifer's inability to affect the Alpha of alphas. About Derek's blue eyes once again, which, after the battle, he told him he'd sacrificed his alpha powers to save Cora. He then explained Deucalion's failed attempt to get Scott to kill Jennifer and how he escaped Deucalion's physical hold._

_And that's when Isaac first interrupted. "Wait…so back up. Explain something to me: why exactly did you go with Deucalion? I mean, why did he let you…or want you to come with him?"_

" _I guess this is the bit we never got to finish." Scott paused to collect himself, looking down for the first time since the explanations began. "The night Boyd died, when I found Deaton in the bank vault, he told me something. He was surrounded by mountain ash and I tried to break through it. You know Stiles' dad got him out, but when I got close…apparently something happened. My…my eyes changed colors."_

" _To red?" Isaac asked. Scott looked up at Isaac, surprised that he'd 'guessed' right. "I heard something. Something Peter and Derek said the other night. But I want you to tell me, so go ahead."_

" _Deaton told me that there's something that happens…pretty rarely. A beta can become an alpha through the sheer force of their own character and will. Deaton called it a true alpha. And at the hospital, Jennifer told Derek, Peter, and Stiles. Now I'm telling you."_

" _So that's why Deucalion wanted you?" Scott nodded._

" _I actually feel it now. Since I broke through Jennifer's barrier."_

" _You did what?" he said, surprised._

_Scott continued his story. Resuming from when the lunar eclipse kick in. Telling Isaac about her dwindling powers and Derek's attempt to stop her. About Jennifer putting up a barrier when the eclipse ended. And about how he broke through the barrier. Isaac smirked when Scott told him that and then Scott finished. Telling Isaac about Scott's warning and then Deucalion's final swipe. And then about letting Deucalion go. He didn't tell him about Jennifer's missing body…he didn't want to worry Isaac if he didn't have to._

" _So you're actually an alpha now?" Isaac asked, smirking at the prospect of his dreams actually having been true…in some regard._

" _Yeah…it's kinda'…yeah." Scott smirked, too._

" _I…you know I left Derek's pack a while ago…so…can I…join yours?"_

_They both looked at each other at the same time and their exchange of looks said it all. "Of course," Scott replied, a new smile forming on his lips. "I mean…thinking back I think, in some regards, you already have been."_

" _I don't mean to brag," Isaac began, "but I've somehow known since before the night Boyd died. Since the motel actually." Scott raised an eyebrow. "It doesn't matter…maybe it was just the wolfsbane talking." Isaac snorted at his own words and looked down at his knees. After a moment or so of silence Isaac finally looked back at Scott, whose own gaze returned to the floor. "Any more surprises I need to know about?"_

_Scott shook his head at first. But when Isaac looked back down, Scott moved. Leaned over in fact. And grabbed Isaac by the chin and lightly turned his face to his. And planted a tender kiss upon his new beta's lips. Isaac looked only briefly at Scott's closed eyes before following suit and kissing Scott back. Their lips only moved together for a moment before Scott pulled back softly. His eyes fluttered open and he looked deep into Isaac's. "Was that okay?" Isaac smirked again and nodded, too speechless from what just happened. "Good, 'cuz I'm pretty sure I've noticed things." Scott didn't give Isaac a chance to reply, stealing his lips again and ultimately leaning them back onto his bed so they could make out for a little longer._

_They heard the front door open and their lips separated slowly. "I…I never told you thank you," Scott said, both boys still on their sides._

" _For what?"_

" _For saving her. At the Nemeton."_

_Isaac got to his feet and held out his hand, pulling Scott up. He paused only for a second before whispering, "You're welcome," against his lips and kissing him once. Not letting Scott take things further in that moment, despite his attempts to, they both made their way downstairs to see Melissa cracking open a dusty bottle of what appeared to be bourbon._

" _This was your father's," she said upon seeing Scott enter the kitchen. "He won't mind," she continued before pouring a little into three short glasses._

" _You're letting us drink?" Scott asked, stunned._

" _No, Scott, I'm telling you to drink," she said with a smirk, handing Isaac a glass and then her son. "Cheers…to no more of this," she said, motioning to the air around, "that you got me into." She winked and took a sip. The boys followed suit._

" _Did Stiles tell you—"_

" _That your father's back in town?" she finished. "Oh yeah, he told me. Hence we're drinking this and not a bottle of wine." Scott smirked and Isaac snorted a little._

Isaac finally saw Scott walking up to him, two helmets in his hands. "Hey," he said with a wide smile, handing Isaac his helmet.

"Hey," Isaac replied with an equal grin.

"How was your day?"

"Pensive," Isaac replied.

"Now I know why Stiles has been annoyed with me," Scott teased. "You ready to go?" Isaac nodded. "By the way, Deaton messaged me. He wants to talk one-on-one so would it be alright if I just dropped you off?"

"Yeah," Isaac replied, not disappointed as he reminded himself that this was only the beginning of good things. "Is he still coming to dinner?"

"I assume so," Scott replied, slipping the helmet over his head and mounting the bike. Isaac mimicked the motions and slipped his hands delightfully around Scott's waist. He squeezed lightly and Scott tapped his helmet back against Isaac's. The blonde smiled and they took off, heading back to the McCall residence…no…to home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As hinted, here we are! See you guys in January and keep an eye out for my other stuff!


	11. Shipwrecked

Life seems to be full of fleeting moments. Despair. Fear. Love. They each seem to come in and out of life for only but a moment. At least, that's how mine works. Worst of all, that last one, that one seems to be the shortest. It's been a few days since Ms. Blake disappeared. Same as Deucalion. But I suppose the real marker, for me, is since Scott kissed me.

Something's happening. It's like a storm has taken over. He's changed. His mood is…well it varies. One minute he can be fine but the next, the next there's this darkness in his eyes. Those beautiful browns are black and his smile is long forgotten. It doesn't happen all the time, but it happens often enough. Melissa's noticed it, too. She says he hasn't been like this since his dad left, but this time he's only getting worse day by day. I haven't shared everything I've seen with her. I don't want to scare her; I don't want to make her afraid of her own son. But I think she knows anyways:

I lay awake every night, listening to Scott's heart. It's unsteady and the rhythm that used to exist has changed. It's more erratic. And that makes his nightly breathing just the same. I hear him toss and turn and shift. The first night I tried to comfort him, but when I walked in the room he was sitting up straight, looking at where I stood in the doorway. He had this…glare. I've never seen that look on him before. But this…this scared the hell out of me.

I went into his room the next morning after I heard him downstairs. I thought something external was going on. Maybe his room had been laced with wolfsbane or something. But there was nothing. Well…there was nothing foreign. In his bed, there was claw-shaped holes. I recalled him last night, sitting the way he was. He was gripping onto his bed pretty tightly.

It seems, too, that the kiss has been forgotten. He seems to ignore me more and when we actually do hang out, he seems absent minded. I asked him the other night if he regretted kissing me. He shook his head and smiled; it was a forced smile, though. My lips bunched and I got up to leave. He grabbed my hand and, looking back, the magic that seemed to calm him before…it wasn't there. I squeezed his and continued back up to my room; we haven't talked about it since.

— Ʌ | Ʌ | Ʌ —

I never thought I'd be looking forward to going back to school. I guess it's the normalcy of it that I'm craving. These last few days have been weird at home. And not just Scott. Scott's dad's come around a couple times, trying to rekindle something with the McCall's; it's agonizingly embarrassing to watch really.

When I emerged from my room, ready to head out, I heard stirring in Scott's room. I went to knock when the door opened. "Hey," I began.

"Oh, hey." He clearly didn't seem thrilled to see me.

"Um, are you, are you going to school?"

"Yeahh," he breathed out.

"'Kay, me, too."

"Good."

"Can I ask you a question?" I said, intent on clearing the air before we returned.

"Okay," he said with a nod, but his eyes…well they read differently.

"Are you angry at me?"

"No."

"Are you sure?"

"No."

"What does that, what does that mean?"

"I guess I'm not really sure how I'm feeling?"

"Do you hate me?"

"No, of course not."

"Do you wanna' hit me?"

"No."

"I think you should hit me," I said, needing him to react some way other than this standoff.

"I don't wanna' hit you," he exclaimed and all I could think was, _"Do you wanna' kiss me?"_

"Are you sure?"

"Why would I wanna' hit you? You didn't do anything did you?"

"No, no, I mean um…what do you, what do you mean?"

And there it was…that darker grin. "I mean like…you didn't kiss her or anything—"

"What?" I said, clearly confused now.

"—right?"

"Kiss who?"

"Did you want to?" he asked, still smirking, intent on getting me to admit…something.

"Scott what're you—" but before I could finish he pushed, and I collided with the wall parallel to his bedroom door. I slumped and tried to gather up all of what just happened.

"Hey," Melissa began, who just rounded the corner. I winced and looked up at Scott. "You two supernatural teenaged boys, don't test my entirely _unsupernatural_ level of patience." I looked over at her and she motioned for me to get up off the floor.

"Feel better?" I asked and Scott walked out of his room and patted me on the head before walked down the stairs, that devilish grin still plastered in place. I got up to retrieve my things and when I got outside, helmet in hand, Scott was already down the street. "What in the…crap…" I sighed.

— Ʌ | Ʌ | Ʌ —

"Thanks, Melissa," I said, getting out of her car.

"You're welcome, Isaac," she said, looking at me. We rode over here with her doing most—all of the talking about what was going on with Scott. "When you see him, tell him to make sure he gives you a ride home or else I'll smack him upside his pretty little werewolf head." I smiled and nodded, heading off up towards the school.

I got towards the central courtyard when I saw Scott walking backwards, hurriedly…no…panicly. But then, there was Stiles. "Hey, hey…you alright?" he said, holding Scott out at arms' length. Scott nodded but Stiles knew better…as did we all. "Well you don't look alright, Scott."

"I'm okay."

"No you're not. It's happening to you, too." I listened closer now, the enlightenment that Stiles was acting strangely, too, was wrought with mixed emotions: relief, confusion, puzzlement. "You're seeing things, aren't you?"

"How'd you know?"

"Because it's happening to all three of you," Lydia said as she and Allison walked up. And then it dawned on me…his estranged behavior…'seeing things'…'kiss her'…he meant Allison. He thinks…he thinks Allison and I have something.

They walked towards one of the side entrances and I followed, preferring to stay the silent observer rather than cause any more contention. Maybe…maybe if they discussed this between the four of them I could figure out how to approach this…him.

"Well, well, look who's no longer the crazy one," I heard Lydia say.

"We're not crazy," Allison replied.

"Hallucinating, sleep paralysis, yeah you guys are fine."

"Well, we did die and come back to life," Scott argued. "It's gotta' have side-effects, right?"

"Keep an eye on each other," Stiles said after the bell rang, "okay? And Lydia, stop enjoying this so much."

— Ʌ | Ʌ | Ʌ —

Art class brought a little more insight: Lydia and Allison were across the room in our circle. "Not the steadiest hand for a superb marksman," Lydia said to Allison's left.

"It's been happening for the past few weeks…since _that_ night," Allison replied. I watched and heard a clang, seeing her bruch drop into her paint. And then she just sat there. Thirty seconds went by when Lydia stood up and tore off her paper.

"Start over."

— Ʌ | Ʌ | Ʌ —

During last period I texted Lydia. As the two observers of our friends losing their minds, and seeming as she _is_ a genius, I figured maybe we can come up with something. So I asked to meet her after school and she told me about a trip into the woods with Allison but that we could meet up at 3 when they were done. Well it was now 3:30 and 20 minutes ago I decided to find them.

"Lydia!" I heard Allison crying. But it wasn't a call…it was as if she was panicking. But then I saw Lydia: the strawberry red-head was standing not a dozen yards away. But Allison, she looked horrified. Her bow was drawn and an arrow was loaded. I rushed, using all the speed and strength I had and _siriiiiing_. I caught it, somehow, but only just before it killed our friend. I watched as Allison panicked realizing what had just happened. What she had almost just done.

"I…I saw Kate…I thought it was Kate and she was…" and Allison's words became jumbled and inaudible through the speed with which she was talking and the weeping that accompanied it. Lydia, despite her near-death experience, ran over to Allison as the brunette crumbled to the ground. I walked over and placed my hand on her shoulder, trying to show her that two of her friends are here now and that there's nothing to worry about.

I wish Scott would've seen me in the same light later that evening.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And it's back, I'm back, and the all is right with the world. Well, not really, not with ours and, given last night's episode, certainly not with theirs. Regardless, I'm having fun with this and I hope this pleases everyone. Just a side note, it seems as though the producers have pushed their sense of proper timeline out the window so I am, too, cuz' I know this is supposed to be a few 'weeks' later but I'm making it only about a week or even a few days later. Enjoy guys and again, comments and love are always great!


	12. The Good and the Bad

_I wish Scott would've seen me in the same light later that evening._

"Right at her head?" he said, walking into his room.

"Almost right through it. And she keeps saying the same thing that, she keeps seeing her aunt. Whatever's happening to you guys is getting worse. And if I hadn't been there then Lydia would be dead."

"What were you doing there?" Scott said, looking up at me from his bed, that look in his eye back. _Again_.

I tried to answer, stuck on deciding on the 'I went to find Lydia so we could figure out what's wrong with you guys' or the 'You told me to keep an eye on Allison and clearly that job isn't finished' when he was on his feet again and I was hitting the wall in the hallway.

"Aww you guys," came Melissa's voice, "c'mon! This house does not have the supernatural ability to heal, so…stop it." I looked back into Scott's room to find him moving around as if nothing happened. I got up off the floor, arched my back with a few _pops_ emitting from my spine, and sauntered into my room. I collapsed onto the bed and sighed, only staring up at the ceiling. It's like I said before, life seems to be full of fleeting moments.

— Ʌ | Ʌ | Ʌ —

School the next day carried on as usual. I rode on the back of the bike with Scott after Melissa gave him a rough verbal thrashing. I tried to remove as much awkwardness from it as possible, wrapping my arms around his chest instead of his waist. And when we got there, I walked in alone, not waiting for him to dismount or even remove his helmet. I just walked into the building alone, and it reminded me of before. Before I got the _bite_. When it was just me: no friends, no craziness… _no crush_.

The rest of the morning was just the same. Allison didn't say a word during biology, though, to be fair, she still looked shaken up from almost killing her best friend. Speaking of Lydia, it was the red head who convinced me to join them outside for lunch. We all sat there silently for a few moments, no lunch on the picnic table; no one seemed hungry…except for Lydia.

"Okay," Scott finally began, "so what happens to a person who has a near-death experience and comes out of it seeing things?"

"And is unable to tell what's real and not?" Stiles added.

"And is being haunted by demonic visions of dead relatives?" Allison said.

"They're all locked up because they're insane," I said plainly.

"Ah, can you at least try to be helpful, please?" Stiles begged.

"For half of my childhood I was locked in a freezer so being helpful is kind of a new thing for me."

"Are, are you still milking that?"

"We are still milking that," I responded, giving him a snarky smile when someone…new…came up to us. Scott lifted his head from where his forehead collapsed into his arms and he seemed to recognize her.

"Hi, hi, sorry, I, couldn't help but overhearing what you guys were talking about…" she began, all of us giving her this stare. "…and I think, I actually might know what you're talking about." She was looking right at me and despite my lost look, she continued. "There's a Tibetan word, it's called _bardo_. It literally means 'in-between states.' The state between life and death."

"And what do they call you?" Lydia asked, clearly the most annoyed of the five of us.

"Kira," Scott said from across from me, smiling up at her. But it wasn't that normal friendly smile he gave her. It was _that_ smile…the one he normally reserved for… "She's in our history class," he defended," when everyone gave him this questioning, sometimes accusatory look.

"So are you talking _bardo_ in Tibetan Buddhism or Indian?" Lydia piped back in, clearly asserting herself as the genius of the group.

"I, either I guess," Kira said, taking a seat next to Stiles. "But all the stuff you guys were just saying, all of that happens in _bardo_. There're different progressive states where you can have hallucinations, some you see, some you just hear. You can be visited by peaceful and wrathful deities." She clearly seemed to be enjoying this.

"Wrathful deities?" I asked, that word striking a nerve with me. "What are those?"

"Like, demons," she said, with a smile.

"Demons," Stiles began, that sarcastic tone back. "Why not?"

"Hold on," Allison began. "If there are progressive states, then what's the last one?"

"Death. You die."

— Ʌ | Ʌ | Ʌ —

I spent that evening alone, mostly. Melissa was at work and Scott was off somewhere. With Styles I think. I spent the evening outside my room on the roof, stargazing. I twiddled the key Scott gave me between me my thumb and my palm. This kind of being alone wasn't so bad; it could be worse. _It would be better if Scott were here_. Not just here, but _really_ here.

I was going to take up my usual spot on the roof the following night, too. School had sucked even more than the day before and Scott, well he just continued to deteriorate. It's almost as if he doesn't recognize me anymore; of course, it's getting harder to recognize him, just as well. After school, he disappeared on me—definitely with Stiles this time because I watched them leave together. I decided to walk home, not bothering with Scott's bike, especially given his worsening mood swings.

The walk was somewhat therapeutic, somewhat traumatizing at the same time. The open fresh Fall air did me a lot of good. It allowed me to breathe easier. Allowed me to let go more. But then something would happen. I'd see something. Or hear something. Something that reminded me of Scott. Or, curse the luck, Scott would just pop into my head without any trigger. The memory of that night, I'm still caught inside it. I belong to it. I'm a slave to it in some ways. I'm a slave to him. There're times I can feel him right beside me. It's usually when I lay down to sleep and I can feel his hands on me. Or his lips if the memory's vivid enough.

It stayed with me for the rest of the day. I couldn't let it go. And when Scott came home, finally, that certainly made it worse. I got up off my stomach, threw my pencil on my textbook, and made to go out to the roof when I heard the front door open again.

"Hey, son." It was Mr.— _Agent_ McCall.

"Stiles told me what you're doing. What you're trying to do. I thought you wanted to try again? That's what mom said. But all you're doing is screwing things up again!"

"Scott, let me explain."

"Yes, please explain why you're trying to get Stiles' dad fired. It doesn't make any sense, _dad_! Who are you helping? Just get out!"

"Scott!"

"What? I can't believe that you'd do this to my best friend." The front door closed for a third time.

"I'm not doing anything to your friend. I'm doing my job."

"Your job sucks."

"Some days I can't argue that."

"Can somebody please tell me what the hell is going on." Of course it was Melissa who'd come home.

"He's trying to get Stiles' dad fired," Scott explained.

"No, that's not true," the man defended.

"What are you doing?" Melissa's expectant voice came out.

"Conducting a case for impeachment."

"Sounds a lot like getting him fired."

"A lack of resolution and ability to close cases is what's going to get him fired. My job is just to collect the information, and its' the job my superiors have given me."

"Your job sucks." There was a pause and Melissa's tone changed. And then I could sense something in the air change. I could hear Scott…his heart. It was beating way faster than it had been only seconds ago. "Scott, sweetheart, calm down. Come with me, right now." I could hear them walking around and then Melissa's voice again. "Just breathe and let it go."

"I'm trying," Scott said, clearly struggling.

"You told me that you and Stiles learned a way to control this. You find an anchor, right? Find your anchor."

"My anchor was Allison. Urghh. I don't have Allison anymore." It was like a blow to the gut, and with a knife. Sure, he was in love with Allison. And I guess love was his choice of emotion to bind to an anchor. But he had me. Or at least, I thought he did. He's my alpha. And he's certainly my anchor…certainly in the way that Allison was for him.

"Then be your own anchor. You can do this." I'd like to think that it was the thought of me, in whatever form, that got him to prevent the transformation. I'd like to think that Melissa's wise words of self-sufficiency were ignored just like much of her other motherly prods of guidance. But I know that's not the case; it'd be naïve to think that. "Sweetheart, let me tell you something that no teenager ever believes. But I swear to you it's the absolute truth…you fall in love more than once. It'll happen again. And it'll be just as amazing and as extraordinary as the first time. And maybe just as painful. But it'll happen again…I promise. And until then, be your own anchor."

I soon hear Scott walking up the stairs, saying nothing to his estranged father downstairs before doing so. His door closed and I could almost picture Melissa turning her full, undivided attention to her ex-husband.

"Is everything alright…with him?" Scott's dad began again, an unfamiliar, hesitant-parenting voice coming through.

"He'll be fine," Melissa replied in that very passive aggressive yet equally dangerous voice of hers. "What is the matter with you, Rafe?" She stopped for but a second and Mr. McCall went to respond when she interrupted. "You know what, don't answer that. I think it's best—I think you should just leave."

"Melissa—"

"Now, please."

There was a silence for a moment before the front door, for the final time that night, opened and closed. Melissa sighed rather expressively before shuffling around the main floor. I heard the window in Scott's room open and went to see where he was going when I finally realized I had moved to the corner of my room. I was crouched down, arms around my knees and my chins resting on the cartilage. The key was fallen next to me, next to a discolorment on the stained hardwood floor.

I stayed there, not really interested enough to move. I listened as Scott's heartbeat got dimmer and dimmer until it was no longer in my ranger. So listened for other sounds, other heartbeats, and that's when I noticed Melissa's, accompanied by her footsteps walking up the stairs. And then she was at my door, turning the handle and spotting me in the light-less room and sitting in the corner. She walked over to me and sat next to me, picking up the key and pulling me in for a hug. I leaned my head on her shoulder; I don't remember when I fell asleep.

— Ʌ | Ʌ | Ʌ —

When I woke up the next day the sun was brighter than normal. I turned over and saw that it was eleven in the morning. "Shit." I hurried up to my feet and began rummaging around in my room to dress and gather up my school things.

"Knock, knock," came Melissa's voice as she slowly opened the door.

"Hey, sorry I overslept."

"It's okay, I let you." I looked at her, confused. "Look, I…the state I found you in last night, I just figured you needed some time." This woman is amazing. I nodded and she turned to leave before stopping herself, looking back at me. "Are you okay?"

I paused for a second before answering. "Yeah, why?"

"I just, I know about your father…and you. What he did. Did that fight last night…" She paused, clearly trying to not overstep. "What I'm trying to say is…if that brought back memories, or if you ever want to talk, I'm here." I guess she could tell that struck a nerve with me, in a good way, because suddenly she stepped up to me and pulled me into a hug. "I may not have expressed this clearly but, Isaac I want you to know that you may not be my son, but I certainly don't mind being your mom." My heart sank and I could feel a rush towards my face. She pulled back worried though, holding onto my arms. "Or, a really cool aunt. Or something." I smirked. "Was that too much?"

"No," I said with a laugh and she smiled. She nodded and went to leave again, but stopping once again.

"Isaac, can I ask you something else?" I nodded, not prepared for the question that was about to leave her lips. "Does Scott know?" I blushed. I know I did. But I had to feign ignorance. I wasn't ready for this, not after all that's been going on with 'us.'

"Know what?" I said, moving over to my nightstand, showing my back to her.

"That you like him?" I froze. My body. My mouth. My eyes. "I'm a mother, Isaac, and we…we see _things_." Suddenly, my body moved on its own and I found myself sitting down on my bed, my ten fingertips touching their counterparts, my eyes locked onto the parallel wall. She sat next to me and wrapped her arm around my shoulder. "It's okay if you do; I'm living with two werewolves," she said amusedly, almost surprised with herself. "It's just, Scott's been a little more hostile to you lately."

"He knows," I blurted out. Silence threatened to creep in when I forced myself to carry on. "But that's not why he's… _acting_ weird." Her head turned so she could look at me. "He thinks I'm trying to get together with Allison." I looked at her, the look of total puzzlement and confusion so apparent. "Whatever they did that night, to find you, it's making him see things. Things that aren't there." I looked back at the wall. "Allison and I…it's in his head."

She squeezed me tighter. "You're a good person, Isaac. They'll get this figured out and then things…can hopefully get back to _normal_ ," she finished with a sigh. I smiled and she patted my leg before standing up. "Come down when you're ready, I'll make you some lunch. I'm off today and I haven't pampered anybody in a while." We exchanged a smile and I nodded before she headed off back down the stairs.

— Ʌ | Ʌ | Ʌ —

After I finished eating—and talking a great deal more with Melissa—Scott texted me. He asked me to meet him at Deaton's. When I got there, I found Stiles' jeep and Scott's bike. Inside I heard Scott recounting the day's events, that the coyote showed up at school. "She attacked Kira because of the doll. It was in Stiles' bag and Kira had his bag."

"So what do you need from me?" Deaton asked as I walked into the back, finding the three of them standing around the examination table.

"We wanna catch her," Scott answered. "Maybe use a trap."

"Or a tranquilizer?" Stiles added.

" _It_ ," I said, walking over to the table's end to my right; Stiles shot me a look from the other. "We still don't even know if that's Malia."

"It's Malia," Scott said confidently, picking up his phone and texting someone.

"I might have something," Deaton interrupted, heading off towards another area of the clinic.

"How you feeling?" Scott asked me.

"Better," I answered, forcing a half-smile. "Your mom was off so she made me lunch."

"Oh," he replied, sounding disappointed, likely missing her exquisite pampering abilities. "That musta' been nice?" he said, trying to be positive. I nodded and he checked his phone when it buzzed.

"Xylazine," Deaton said as he walked back into the room. "It's a tranquilizer for horses." He placed three vials of clear liquid on the table. "For a werecoyote I expect it to work in seconds. I only have three, so whoever's shooting needs to be a damn good shot."

"Allison's a perfect shot," Scott answered.

"No, she…she used to be," I said.

"She can do it," Scott assured, the two of us exchanging an unspoken yet knowing conversation.

"If we manage to find the thing," I countered.

"Okay, what is the point of him," Stiles said. I looked at Scott, closing his eyes frustratedly, to Stiles, who clearly resented my presence in that moment. "Seriously, what is his purpose, beside from the persistent negativity _and_ the scarf." I smirked at him, cocking my head just to crawl under his skin. "What's up with the scarf anyway; it's 65° out?"

"Look," I continued, "maybe I'm asking the question no one here wants to ask, but how do we turn a _coyote_ back into a girl when she hasn't been a girl for eight years?"

No seemed to answer, when Scott finally looked up at me. "I can do it."

"You can?" Stiles asked, perplexed.

"Yeah, remember the night Peter trapped us in the school? In the gym he was able to make me turn using just his voice. Deucalion did the same thing in the distillery."

"This is a werecoyote, Scott" Deaton pointed out. "Who knows if it'll even work if you can find someone who can teach you."

"That's why you called Derek first," Stiles said, piecing things not obvious to me together.

"Yeah, I, I could try it on my own," Scott said, now unsure of himself. "But right now I'm too scared to even change into just a werewolf."

"We need a real alpha," Stiles blurted out and we all just looked at him, mouths metaphorically agape. "You know what I mean, an alpha who can do alpha things. You know an alpha who can get it going, y'know, get it—"

"Up?" I offered. And for once, Stiles and I agreed.

"Great," Scott expressed, "I'm an alpha with…performance issues."

"Is there anyone else besides Derek who could help?" Deaton asked.

"I wouldn't trust Peter," I said, thinking back to the crazy man.

"Maybe the twins?" Stiles offered.

"They're not alphas anymore," Deaton said. "After what Jennifer did, almost killing them, it broke that part of them."

"Right, but what if they know how to do it?" Stiles pushed.

"Nobody's seen them for weeks," Scott said, clearly attempting to solve this one.

"Well actually that's, uh, not totally true," Stiles corrected. We all looked at him expectantly. "Lydia's seen them. Aidan, actually." Scott looked at him, even more so, silently directing him to ask Lydia…and now. Stiles nodded and walked off to the other end of the room. Deaton looked between us and walked off as well, easily sensing the tension.

"So, you and my mom…had a nice lunch?" Scott attempted. I just looked at him, and then away but nodding. "Look, I don't want to ask you this, but I have to." I looked back at him, the frown on my face settling in deep. "Allison has a tranquilizer gun. Can you make sure she makes it to the woods okay?" I knew that was going to come out of his mouth—somehow I just knew it.

"After what you've been accusing me of, are you sure that's a good idea?" I retorted snarkily.

He looked down at the table, knowing he had hurt me; despite not wanting to see that pain, I counted myself as lucky that I had caught Scott as Scott and not as this…wrathful deity' Scott. "I'm sorry, Isaac," he said, looking up at me. "I'm…every day I feel like I'm losing my mind. I'm seeing things. In my shadows. I see this beast, like Peter was. I'm scared to even transform my eyes, let alone to a full werewolf." He looked back and saw that the other two were still preoccupied. "I see you and I see Allison right behind you with her arms around you. Or I see Allison and I see you, just the same. I…I'm losing it." He looked down, looking as lost and worried as I'd ever seen him before.

I breathed one heavy breath before saying, "I'll make sure she gets there." He looked up at e and smiled a half-smiled.

"C'mon, I'll take you," he offered. We passed by Stiles, who was on the phone still with Lydia and Scott mouthed that he'd meet back up with him. We mounted his bike like old times and I hugged onto him a little tighter. Things felt lighter in those minutes to the Argent's apartment, especially when he leaned back to bump his helmet against my own.

When we got there, I took off my helmet and latched it onto the back of the bike. "I'll see you there, then," I said, still only able to half-smile in front of him. He nodded and I went to walk in when I felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned around and saw his helmet-less face for a split second before he leaned in and kissed me on the cheek. I could feel my face brighten up and he winked at me before mounting that bike once more.


	13. Push The Darkness

"Do you think you can hone in on Malia?" Allison asked, immediately loading up her rifle with the contents that Isaac brought her. The blonde finally tuned into her voice that had been talking for the last few minutes; he'd zoned out—immensely as it was. Scott. The eternal distraction. He muttered out some words that easily could have left Stiles' mouth given their humor-content, but he just continued to be lost in those brown eyes and those tender lips. Despite the mark being dry for some time now, Isaac could still feel where Scott had kissed his cheek, especially when he breathed out of his nose and some air would catch the skin and peach-fuzz.

What brought him out of his Scott-infused trance was Allison. That same darkness he could feel that crept into Scott was suddenly entering Allison. He could sense it, in the form of a damp, moldy, and mossy scent and in the change in heaviness in the air, which had become overwhelming like humidity, only cold. He looked up and saw her struggling to slip the syringe needle into one of the vials. "You okay?" he asked, watching her hands tremble and her face quickly becoming distraught.

She dropped the first vial and bent down to get it; when she resurfaced, he saw it. Just like Scott, her face was different. Only, instead of sinister, she looked ready to snap at any moment. "Allison?" As if on cue, she picked up the rifle on the desk and pointed it at him. Isaac stepped back, almost backing up against the door. "Allison!" he yelled, sticking his arm out defensively. And like that time in the woods with Lydia, she suddenly snapped out of it.

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry," she whispered, slowly placing the gun down as shock at her actions settled into her psyche. "I'm—I'm so sorry," she said again. "I don't know what I was doing. I'm sorry."

"Honest, that's better than ring daggers I guess," Isaac said, walking over to her, albeit cautiously.

"How am I supposed to help anyone when I'm like this; what am I supposed to do?" she asked him, trembling with the vial still in hand.

"Allison," he whispered, slowly taking the vial from her hand, "let me help. Show me what to do." She nodded, grabbing the syringe from the other side of the desk. She took a seat and began her instructions.

Once the sedative was ready, Isaac took a seat in the other chair on the door-side of the desk. "It's going to be okay," he reassured, though his own tone clearly indicated his hesitance—his doubt.

"What are we gonna' do?" she said rather hopelessly, staring at the desk corner near Isaac's foot.

"We wait for Scott to text and then we meet him." Allison looked at him as if to say _'You know what I mean'_ and Isaac countered with a knowing expression. "We'll figure this out, the five of us."

Allison nodded, shifting her sight back to the corner, though. "Does Scott do that?"

"Do what?"

"See things and try to kill his friends?"

Isaac popped a slight smile. "No, he doesn't do that." She frowned further. "He does see things, though. That aren't there. And not just visions."

"What do you mean?"

"He senses things. We can smell emotions; specific ones, too. Since this started, Scott's sensed things about me that aren't there. And he's taken it out on me. With a wall, actually."

Allison looked up at him again. "What things?"

Isaac didn't answer at first, contemplating as to whether or not he should open up to her at all given her inquisitive nature. To be honest, she was just a friend. To Scott, too. No boundaries would be crossed. But then again, Scott might think different, and the last thing he needed was for Scott's inner-darkness to find another thing to take out on him.

"Just things," Isaac answered, taking his turn to look at a desk corner; out of the corner of his eye, though, he could tell she expected more than just that. "Scott…he's my alpha now. So there're things… _pack_ things I can't talk about."

"Un-huhh…"

_Bzzz, bzzz_.

Isaac dug his phone out of his jeans and saw the text from Scott. "They're ready; let's go." Allison nodded and gathered up the rifle while Isaac took back the small metal case, now loaded with syringes rather than vials.

— Ʌ | Ʌ | Ʌ —

The drive over to the preserve was quiet, nerve-rackingly quiet. When Allison first asked about the so-called _things_ , I heard her heart beat a little faster. Did she know, or even suspect; I guess we'll find out? Now, though, we had more pressing things, like preventing a father from killing his maybe-but-likely werecoyote daughter. Scott's face didn't look promising and it was clear to me that his doubts about transforming had improved little to none.

"Anyone else think we might be doing more harm than good?" Lydia asked when no one else wanted to speak.

"We're trying to keep a father from killing his own daughter," Scott reassured, his belief in the cause still at its max.

"Actually," I said, trying to be realistic, "we're trying to keep a guy from killing a coyote who's actually his daughter who we don't know how to change from a coyote back to his daughter."

"And again with the not helping," Stiles piped in and we exchanged a similar set of looks from earlier back at Deaton's.

Scott, however, ignored us both and looked back at Allison. "Did you bring it?" She reached into the trunk and pulled out the rifle, her worried expression still plastered on her face.

_Pchkerrrw, pchkerrrw!_

Scott and I looked out into the forest, estimating where the shots were pinpointed before he hopped onto his bike and sped off. I immediately ran after him, ignoring Stiles' pleas to hold up. When Scott got too far ahead I paused, only then realizing that Allison was right behind me.

_Pchkerrrw!_

We took off again and, given everything going on with Scott, I couldn't wait for Allison. She did her best to stay on my heels, but I know she was struggling. "Isaac, wait!" But I didn't, and maybe I should have. Because one look back and pain filled my body, pouring into my leg and up.

"Arghhhh!" I cried out, collapsing to my hands for support. "ArghhhhhHHHHHHHHH!" My roar echoed, and I know Scott felt it; I felt him feel it. "Uh…aghh…" I tried and tried to get free. A bear trap. I was losing blood and fast, and I'd like to blame _that_ for my inability to rip it off me; in hindsight that may not be completely honest. Allison came running up, concerned for me like I've never seen her before. But ahead I could see him: Malia's father. "Allison, there he is," I said, nodding up before returning to the spiked vice. "Hit, Tate; use the tranq' gun on him, okay?" She nodded but she was shaky—I could smell doubt from her every pore.

"C'mon," she said to herself right before her shot missed.

"Allison, breathe…"

She took a large breath, drawing from my own confidence in her before resuming her aim. "Nous protégeons…ceux qui ne peuvent…pas se protéger eux-mêmes." I had no idea what it meant, but not two seconds later her second shot connected with Tate's shoulder perfectly. She smiled before taking aim again as he fell to the ground. "Isaac…she's gone…" Allison abandoned the shot, filling me with a twinge of hope that Scott could come through. She knelt down and we both, now, tried to pry the contraption off me.

But then something happened. Scott unleashed the roar he'd mentioned earlier, and for the first time since Derek found me in the police station, I felt the presence and dominance of my alpha. This…Scott…he was different. I felt everything flood into me…everything I'd been feeling about him. I was anchored to him right then, despite feeling my eyes shift. He was my alpha, and he gave me the strength to rip the clamps from their base. But most of all, I felt Scott baring his soul through his roar. I could feel the depths within Scott, fighting the darkness that infected him. That poisoned him. That prevented him from being the amazing Scott that he's always been. I could feel him in my soul, _claiming_ me—or so I'd like to think. Because it was then that I knew that I wasn't going to lose Scott, not before putting up a fight so resilient, I'd even risk the color of _my_ eyes to do so.

— Ʌ | Ʌ | Ʌ —

I rode back with Scott, thankful that it was harder to bleed all over a motorcycle than in someone's car (especially Chris Argent's, whom I'd rather not force a violent confrontation with). When we got back to the house…err, home…we found that Melissa was just leaving. She went to kiss us goodbye when she noticed the blood caked onto my jean-leg. Being the concerned mother/nurse that she was, she knelt down to inspect, despite my protests of assurance, and found that any wound that had been there was now gone. She laughed and kissed us both before heading off towards the hospital.

"Are you hungry, I'm hungry?" Scott said immediately as he placed one foot inside the house. I smirked, more ready to get out of these pants.

"I am," I replied, "but I'm gonna' change out of these first. It's kinda' itchy." He turned to look at me, wide-eyed, mouth agape, and blushing. "My leg, idiot," I said, knowing what he thought I meant. He faced back towards the kitchen and slowly resumed his walk to retrieve some food. I shook my head, unable to shake my grin from my lips as I bolted up the stairs. Unfortunately, Scott hadn't been wrong. My leg wasn't the _only_ thing itching and when I stripped my jeans off I only looked down at my bulge sympathetically.

I went to step out of the bunched up article at my feet when two strong arms wrapped around my abdomen. "Scott, what're you…? Hah…" He didn't answer with words, though. He leaned up and kissed the back of my neck, all the while rubbing his hands along my torso, scraping over a nipple now and then. "Scah—Scott…" I leaned back into him, resting my head back on his shoulder, giving him more access to the side of my neck his lips danced on. "Gahh!" I gasped as his hand slipped beneath the waistband of my trunks. "Scott are you sure?—unghh…"

— Ʌ | Ʌ | Ʌ —

We were only at it for five minutes. Hands. Or rather, his hands; I think I died the second I was done, and he could tell. He smirked at me and kissed my temple before running back downstairs to grab the food he'd been talking about. Now, he's sitting next to me. Kind of. I'm on my bed, staring at the ceiling, clad only in my shirt and boxers—and socks—and he's sitting on the floor by my hand, chowing down on a leftover sub Melissa never finished.

"Scott?"

"Hmm?" he grunted, looking back up at me.

I rolled onto my side and propped my head up with my elbow. "I can ask you anything, right?"

He grinned before twisting back around to take another large bite of his sandwich. "Of course," he said through his busy mouth.

I laid back down flat. "Was that you…who did that?" He looked back at me…brows furrowed. "I mean, were you in control when you did that? Or was it _it_ …"

He threw his sandwich to the side and swallowed quickly before standing to crawl on top of me. He kissed me and I could taste the tomatoes and mayonnaise; that's not something I'd prefer to do in the future. "That was all me—no crazy head game involved." I smiled, nodding before I pulled him closer to kiss him again, despite my food-protests.

"Do you want me to…?" I began. But he knew what I meant and he just shook his head. He rolled off to the wall-side of the bed and I scooted over, clasping our hands together.

"I'm sorry I've been…weird…especially about us."

"I get it," I said, a little too coldly.

"I know it's not been fair to you. _I've_ not been fair to you." He looked over at me, squeezing my hand a little more. "I'm sorry…really. I promised you that you would feel safe here. Wanted." He turned onto his side and placed his other hand on my chest, resting his cheek against my shoulder. "I feel like I've broken that."

"Don't," I assured. "I'm not gonna' lie…it's been hard. I mean, thankfully, in some weird way, knowing what you guys did to find your parents, that's what's kept me from shutting down." He nuzzled into me a little more and a light smile appeared across my lips. "Plus, your mom's been great…she and I've talked about it. About you."

"About me?"

"She's not clueless."

"Thanks to Matt," Scott grumbled.

"Yes, thanks to Matt."

Scott was silent for a moment before pushing. "What'd you guys talk about?"

"Mostly about whatever you guys did. And how it's affecting you. She's concerned." He looked at me with a look that said _'She's more than concerned.'_ "Okay, she's scared for you. But she also wanted to know how I was handling it. Your mom…she's a lot like mine was." Scott rubbed his hand on my chest comfortingly, and I emotionally leaned into the touch. "By the way," I continued after we just lay there, feeling…in more ways than one, "your mom asked me something." He looked up at me, one brow raised. "She asked me if you knew that I was into you." He sat upright in a split second, his alarmed face looking down at me.

"What'd you tell her?"

"I told her that you did, but I didn't mention anything about us. To be honest…when she asked I didn't even think there was an 'us.'" He nodded before looking away to the wall. "She thought you were pushing me around because of that." His head snapped back. "That's when we got on the subject of the ritual stuff; don't worry, she knows you're not a homophobe." He popped a grin and I pulled him back down into a kiss. "So do I." He smirked against my lips and rolled back over into the position he was in moments ago, only this time with his cheek flat against my chest and his hand down on my abdomen. "Scott, what am I to you? Besides the whole beta/friend thing?"

"I don't just cuddle with anyone," he said, and I could feel his cheeks pull into a smile.

I pushed lightly at his head. "Seriously."

"Honestly? I don't know. I like you…a lot. We've been through a lot, especially with the alphas and Jennifer. I'm…I'm really into you." He paused, and I knew there was a 'but.' "But I'm scared, too. About what's happening with me. With the three of us. If I'm losing it the way I am…I don't want you to get hurt in the process."

"I can take care of myself, Scott."

"That's not what I mean. What if my visions get worse? What if my jealousy takes over and I do something to you? What if I say something unforgivable?" He paused again, inhaling a deep one. "What if I throw a glass at you?" My hand, that had been resting on Scott's back, reached up and tugged on Scott's hair so he could see my face.

"I trust you, Scott. I don't mean that blindly. I know you…I know you well. _And_ I know what's happening to you. Don't worry about me. The more you do the worse you might make it." He nuzzled back down into my chest and I hugged him closer.

"I lied to my mom the other night," Scott finally said. "When I almost transformed in front of my dad. I told her Allison was my anchor. And that's true…but she hasn't been for a while. You have. And when I said I didn't have her anymore, I was talking about you, too. I was messed up then…from this _thing_. But now I know I have you. So that's what you are to me. You're my anchor, Isaac."

"You're really sappy, you know," I said, holding myself from even blinking at the words I've been wanting to here. He nodded and we were done with _that_ conversation…for now I'd hoped.

— Ʌ | Ʌ | Ʌ —

The morning before Halloween came faster than expected; what with the mess with Deucalion and the alphas, I'm surprised it hadn't already come and gone. Melissa came home last night with a police escort, one of Scott's dad's men to be more accurate. She seemed shook up and before Scott or I could even leave his room to talk to her she retreated to her room. Scott knocked a couple times, calling out for her through her door, but eventually he gave up and gave me a look before heading off back to his room.

Scott woke up later than he wanted to and he only gave me a mischievous smile when he finally emerged from his room; thankfully this one wasn't brought on by the darkness. This was just Scott. I tried to push him on it, but he never answered. So when it was time to leave, everything became a clear: on his bike, behind his own, he'd spray-painted my helmet hot pink at some point after I'd fallen asleep. I shook my head at him with disdain, but I couldn't help but be amused. I decided to go without it, willing to blame Scott for any head injuries should he make us crash.

We never saw Melissa that morning.

When we pulled up into Scott's normal spot in front of the school, the twins were already in theirs, waiting. We both dismounted and so did they, eyeing only Scott. "You're back at school?" Scott asked.

"No, just to talk," Ethan answered.

"Ah, that's kind of a change in pace for you guys," Stiles said sarcastically, walking up to the four of us. "Seeing as though usually you're just hurting, maiming, and killing."

"You need a pack," Aiden replied, ignoring Stiles. "We need an alpha."

"Yeah, absolutely not," Stiles answered for Scott, and while I hated the so-called insubordination, I couldn't help but agree with him…for once. "That's hilarious, though."

"You came to us for help, we helped," Ethan pushed.

"You beat his face into a bloody pulp; that's not helping. In my opinion that's actually counter-productive."

"Why would I say 'yes?'" Scott finally answered, probably making the best point above even all of Stiles'?

"We add strength," Aiden continued. "We make you more powerful. There's no reason to say 'no.'"

"I can think of one," I replied. "Like the two of you holding Derek's claws while Kali impaled Boyd. In fact, I don't know why we're not impaling them right now."

Aiden's eyes and teeth immediately shifted and he looked at me as intimidatingly as he could; I was only amused. "You wanna' try?"

I stepped forward to call his bluff when Scott grabbed my wrist, a look exchanging between us as I stepped back. "I'm sorry but they don't trust you. And neither do I." As the alpha, that was the end of the conversation and he walked into the school, Stiles following right behind. I took my time to relish a little in it, probably posturing a little too much for my own good. Scott looked at me again and I walked past them as they stopped at their locker, heading to my own further down the hall. I reached in, grabbed my stuff for my first two periods and headed back, catching Scott's eyes on me the entire time.

"What are you looking at?" Stiles asked, looking over at Kira.

"Me?" Scott froze.

"You. You looking at her?" Scott froze even more, his heart starting to pump a little faster.

"Her?" he said, confused. "Who her?"

"Her, her," Stiles pushed, motioning with his head. "Kira, do you like her?"

"No."

Stiles looked at him funny, giving Scott that famous _'You can't lie to me look.'_ "Ask her out."

"What?"

"Scott, I don't think you get it yet. You're an alpha, 'kay? You are the apex predator. Everyone wants you, you know; you're like the hot girl that every guy wants."

"I'm the hot girl?"

"You are the hottest girl," Stiles said, sincerely kidding before smiling and heading off to class.

I looked at Scott and Scott looked from Stiles to me, still a little dumbfounded. "I'm a hot girl."

I nodded. "Yes, you are."

Scott immediately brightened up with the goofiest smile I've ever seen on him, and I swear, he giggled a little, walking off to join Stiles in economics.

— Ʌ | Ʌ | Ʌ —

Later in the day Stiles texted me with an urgent message to meet him at the top of one of the stairwells. When I got there, I found him, Lydia, and Allison, all looking worried. "What is it?" I asked.

"The shrapnel bomber's escaped," Stiles answered as we began to make our way down the stairs. "And he's in the school. According to my dad, he's going after kids with glowing eyes."

"Barrow went after kids with 'glowing eyes'—he said those exact words?"

"Yeah, and no one knows how he woke up from anesthesia, just that when they opened him up they found a tumor full of live flies, which in any other circumstance would be all kind of awesome."

"Did you say flies?" Lydia asked.

"Lydia?" Allison began.

"All day I have been hearing this sound, it's like…this…buzzing."

"Like the sound of flies?"

"Exactly like the sound of flies."

"I gotta' find, Scott," Stiles said and he took off down the hall at full speed. Lydia took off after him and Allison and I just stood there.

"A tumor full of flies?" I asked rhetorically, all of my anticipation for lunch decimated. We took off after them, walking rather than running, and when we found 'them,' I t was only Scott. And he was on the phone, with Melissa.

"Alright, see you soon," he said right before hanging up. He turned to me and looked worried, but as Scott would, hopeful, too. "My mom's on her way with something to help us. If Lydia's right, and he's here, we'll find him."

"Where are Stiles and Lydia?" Allison asked.

"Looking for the sheriff; the police are leaving."

"Great," I muttered.

"Allison," Scott began, "can you go find the twins? We're gonna' need them." She nodded cautiously before taking off.

"The twins?" I tried to press right before he took me behind the nearby staircase and pushed me up against the wall, his mouth hungrily on mine. Given the grave matter unfolding around us, I wanted to stop him. I should have stopped him. But I couldn't. I gave in to his need…and to my own. I pulled him into me, as close as I could get him. I grabbed onto his ass and held him tight, squeezing and feeling as best as I could despite the lack of skin-contact. "Did the danger turn you on?" I asked finally after pulling back, smirking asshole-like down at him.

He smiled and shook his head. "More like it makes me want to be near you…make sure you're safe." I blushed—I could feel the tingle in my cheeks. "When I'm near you, though, that's when I get turned on." My head fell back against the wall and I let out a breathy, stifled laugh.

_Bzz, bzz._

His phone vibrated against my hand on one of his cheeks and I reached into his pocket to retrieve it. "It's your mom; she's here." He nodded before taking the phone from me and stealing a kiss. He took off to find her and I waited a second before stepping back out into the open hall. Just then, Allison and the twins came up and we waited, Allison and I having a staring pissing match with our former enemies (current if you ask me). Scott returned rather speedily, thankfully, and he could only shake his head at the four of us.

Allison looked at Scott, then me, then the twins, and then back at Scott. She took off, probably to find Stiles and Lydia, and the four of us found a quiet pocket. "Lydia thinks that he's still here," Scott began, "even though the cops searched the whole school. But they didn't have one thing," he continued as he pulled out a hospital gown from the bag he'd returned with, "our sense of smell." We each took a turn drawing in and committing his awful smell to memory before splitting up to search the bottom-most part of the school. It was familiar, reminiscent of when Derek and Scott trapped Boyd and Cora down in the very room we were now searching.

The twins took off one way, while Scott and I took the other. I was hesitant to work with them, and I hated it more than the endless searching we'd started. "This is how it's gonna' be now?" I began once we'd come across a red-lit room. "We trust them?"

He looked at me, knowing me all too well. "Just because I'm letting them help doesn't mean that I trust them."

"Yeah, well I don't trust them either. Or like 'em. In fact I hate 'em and I just want 'em to die."

I could tell he was a little struck by my words, but I was struck a little by his, too. "Well if Barrow is actually here and he's got a plan, you might get what you want." He didn't sound happy that he said that—I think my words bothered him more than anything—but I couldn't help but enjoy that possibility.

We continued searching in more silence before I couldn't stand the smell that he was giving off. "I'm sorry I said that, it's just that—"

"It's fine," he said tersely, "I get it. I know you and Boyd were close." He stopped and turned back to look at me. "I know if it had been you, I'd feel the same way." He turned back around and his head cocked a little. "Probably worse."

"Good to know," I said, grinning a little.

A light laugh left through his nose when he stopped again, looking back at me challengingly. "You wouldn't?"

"Of course I would," I said, "I'd be devastated if I lost the hottest girl in the school." He grinned that goofy grin again before turning back around to continue. I caught him first, though, and wrapped my arms around him for a moment. "Honestly, I think I'd lose it if something happened to you."

He leaned his head back for a chaste kiss before saying, "Let's find Barrow and we won't have to worry about that." I nodded and we set off to continue our hunt, none of his scent detectable unfortunately.

_Ddddddinnnnnnggggg…_

It was a fire alarm. Scott and I looked at each other before putting two and two together, taking off to resurface from the basement. We got out to the courtyard, having met up with the twins in the school, to find Stiles and Lydia walking towards us, too. "We didn't find anything," Aiden said first.

"Not even a scent," Scott confirmed.

"It's three o'clock," Stiles began, his thinking face on. "School's over. If there was a bomb wouldn't he have set it off by now?"

"Does that mean everybody's safe?" Ethan asked.

"I dunno'…" Lydia began. "I just…I dunno.'"


	14. Electrify the Boys and Girls

" _I dunno'…" Lydia began. "I just…I dunno.'"_

"Are you sure you didn't find anything?" Stiles asked us again.

"Nothing," I answered. "Not even a whiff."

"Do you still hear the buzzing noise?" Stiles asked, turning to the red-head. She shook her head.

"It's quieter now. Dimmer." Stiles ran his hand through his hair, and then faster in a scrubbing motion. "Maybe the tip was right? Maybe they did spot him near the train station."

Everyone seemed to turn to Scott, looking what to do next. "We tried," he said finally. "You got everyone out so if there is a bomb, or he is here, everyone should be safe now, right?" Stiles nodded, frustration still covering his face. "Let's let the police handle it then. They'll find him." The twins nodded and looked at Scott to reopen this morning's conversation when Stiles and I both picked up on it. We just glared at them and they looked at each other before walking off quietly.

"I'll take you home," Stiles said to Lydia after turning to her, Scott sharing a look with me. We parted ways and made our way towards Scott's bike when Mr. Yukimura stopped us in the courtyard.

"Mr. McCall," he called out. Scott and I turned to look at him just as he walked up. "May I have a word with you?" he said rather friendly-like. Scott nodded and his history professor looked at me; taking the hint, I walked over to a column and leaned against it, pulling out my phone to pretend to not listen.

"Did I do something wrong?" Scott asked.

"On the contrary," Mr. Yukimura answered. "I have a favor to ask you, but, if I'm out of line…" Scott nodded, his right brow raised slightly higher than the other. "The other day you saved my daughter from that coyote. I was wondering if you'd accept an invitation for dinner…tonight…as a way of thanks and maybe as a way to help her out of her shell. Kira has had a harder time adjusting to Beacon Hill." Scott clearly looked a little dumbfounded and the teacher laughed a little. "I wouldn't normally ask this, especially from one of my students, but I've seen you two talking a number of times and, as you know, she's noticed you. Again, if it's too uncomfortable or if I'm out of line, I'd completely under—"

"No," Scott said. "I mean, yes." Scott paused to collect himself. "Uh, what time should I be there?"

Kira's father smiled, pleased with the unexpected results. "We eat early, say around five?" Scott nodded and Mr. Yukimura gave Scott their address before walking off back into the school. He looked over at me as I made my way back over to him; his face was still a little dumb-struck.

"Isaac, I swear I had no idea," Scott began, but when I didn't answer him back, he started to panic a little. His heart was racing a little more and his forehead began to sweat a little. We made it all the way to his bike when he finally broke his silence again. "Are you mad? 'Cuz really, I'm not into her. What Stiles said this morning, that was just coincidence." He paused and looked around cautiously. "You know I was looking at you," he said quietly. "I'm into you."

I didn't answer, wanting to draw this out as long as possible. He gave up too easily, though, and slipped his helmet over his head before mounting his bike. I clambered on after him and he started it up. We weren't even out of the parking lot before my hand travelled further and further south until it pulled up on his jacket and shirt and slipped down past his two waistbands. "I'm not mad," I said as close to his ear as I could without giving 'us' away to our classmates. "But you better not go crazy on me," I said devilishly, giving him a tight squeeze, forcing a gasp and desperate nod out of him.

— Ʌ | Ʌ | Ʌ —

"You're sure you're not mad about tonight?" Scott asked, walking out of his bathroom with a toothbrush in his mouth."

Isaac just looked up at him with an amused face and from lying back on Scott's bed, propped up on his elbows. "We just made out for an hour. I still taste you on my tongue and you're asking me that?"

Scott went beat red before retreating to his bathroom to spit. "I just, uh, want to make sure you're okay with it."

"Do I have reason to not be?"

"No," the brunette answered, spraying some deodorant under his arms after walking over to his desk. "Anyways, it's not like she's interested in me, like _that_."

"You know this how?" Isaac retorted, falling back flat and gazing at Scott's now-upside-down form, his brown eyes looking 'up' at him.

"I overheard her earlier. Talking with her dad. She's not looking for a boyfriend; she just wants a few friends." Scott turned his back to fiddle with something on his desk.

"So you're stalking her now. Eavesdropping and everything?" Isaac teased, a wicked grin springing across his lips.

"I didn't, I mean, it wasn't—" And then he turned to see Isaac's grin and frowned. "You're an ass," he said, leaning over the far side of the bed to plant a kiss on Isaac's lips. "I gotta' go…walk me out?" Isaac nodded and they descended the stairs, only for Scott to see something missing. Something vital. "Isaac, where's my helmet?"

The blonde only shrugged, looking away to keep himself from laughing, as his pink one was the only one on the shelf

"Isaac," Scott said, his voice a little more raised, and Isaac took off running. "Isaac!"

— Ʌ | Ʌ | Ʌ —

_::heard from allison yet ?::_ Isaac typed into his text to Lydia.

_::Why don't you ask her?::_ came his response and Isaac's eyes rolled.

_::shes not answering her phone::_

After several minutes went by, Isaac tossed his phone onto his bed from his own desk, frustrated. _"I guess Lydia's not answering hers now, either."_ Boredom setting in, as homework had become mundane and mentally taxing, Isaac got up from his chair decided to go out. He lifted his phone and proceeded to head out, locking up behind him. From the porch he looked left, and then right, and then left again. _"Decisions…"_

Finally, he decided to surprise Melissa with dinner—after all the mess with Barrow, maybe a friendly face and an unexpected bag of hot food would help her get through the tough double she was pulling. He took off running, stopping by Del Taco before running a few more blocks to Beacon Hills Memorial. When he walked in, the staff seemed to be bustling a little more hurriedly than usual, and there were a few noticeable guards stations at various places. When Melissa finally came within sight, she was being shadowed by one of the deputies he'd seen at Argent's place when Scott's dad interrogated them.

The shadow guard then spotted Isaac staring at Melissa and he walked over to the beta. "Can I help you, son?" Isaac froze, recollecting that evening and hoping that the deputy didn't.

"Hey, this one's with me," Melissa said, spotting her otherwise foster-son, and the bag. "You're a god-send," she said, pecking him in the forehead with a kiss and taking the bag from him. "Isaac there's a lot in here." She leaned in closer to him. "I don't have a supernatural appetite, you know."

Isaac smirked and looked down at the bag. "My dinner's in there, too."

She beamed at him and wrapped her arm around him. "Good, because my break is in a few minutes and I'd hate to eat alone." She walked them towards the nurses' station and parked him in a seat, placing the hot bag in his lap. "Just gimme' five minutes and we can walk down to the cafeteria." He looked around, watching all the different sorts of people: staff, injured, sickly, pacers; within those few minutes, he got a real clear understanding as to how tough Melissa is. He looked over and saw Melissa's guard stink-eyeing him, and Isaac dug out his phone to try and look like a normal teenager (and of course, nothing from Lydia or Allison).

— Ʌ | Ʌ | Ʌ —

Having failed to get ahold of Allison during dinner for any more clues or answers, Isaac decided to pay her a visit; the distance between the hospital and Argent's apartment was just as doable a trip as heading home. After receiving a warm hug from _mom_ —a term he still needed to adjust to with Melissa—he took off running once again. In only a short time and with some simple wall-scaling, Isaac found himself on Allison's window balcony. He reached forward, grabbing the handle of one when—

_Bzzzzz._

"Eh!"

_Bzzz._

"Ah!"

Finding the source of the electricity connected to the frame above, he yanked out the wires before forcing his way in. Allison was nowhere in sight, but he could hear her heartbeat and walked towards it to find her in the office.

"Electrified the windows?" he said, leaning against the door frame, glaring across at her.

"Yep," Allison answered casually, not taking her eyes off the screen.

"Didn't…wanna'…say anything about it?"

"Nope," she answered, clearly amused.

"Okay…" Isaac walked over to her, peering down at the screen filled with archaic text.

"What are you doing here?"

"Figured you could use an extra pair of eyes."

"Can you read Latin?"

"No, but, I can look at pictures."

Allison shrugged and Isaac tapped a key, bringing up a picture of a red mask. It frightened them in a way and for a reason they didn't quite comprehend. But they moved on, continuing to search until Allison moved them into her room because her dad would be home soon. When they got in there, though, he smelled _it_ again. Having walked in first, he looked back at her to see her face appearing…devious. He backed away, closer towards the window he'd not entered through, watching as she just stared straight at where he'd been, her eyes on the wall though. "Allison?" Suddenly, she took off her top, leaving her torso clad only in her bra. He looked away immediately, blushing. "Allison," he said through gritted teeth, and she suddenly started walking over to him when he heard footsteps. Argent was home.

"Allison," Chris began, and suddenly she blinked, looking surprised to see where and how she was. The smell instantly evaporated, as if it had never been there. "Can I see you in my office?" he said sternly, looking from his daughter to the boy somewhat obstructed by her. "Where I keep my guns…" Isaac looked past her at Argent, eyes wide, before looking back over at Allison's closet where his gaze had been before. She slipped her top back on, following her dad out after mouthing 'Help me.' "Another werewolf!?" came Argent's voice from his office, and Isaac couldn't help but pop an amused smile.

He picked up the papers Allison had dropped before sitting on her bed, looking through them and trying to sort them into piles he considered organized. They'd prove an ample distraction from listening in, hoping, if her dad wasn't already aware of the problem she (Scott and Stiles) had been having, that she'd explain it to him now. Time seemed to move slowly and soon almost all of the stack had been sorted out.

But then the lights began to flicker on her chandelier and Isaac looked up at them, standing as that smell—it was back. This time, however, was different. This time, it wasn't just there lingering in the room; it was the only presence in the room, even above his own or even Allison's. The lights went out for good and then he heard movement. Steps with the most silent grace. And then he saw movement, coming from a robed figure. Then another. And then another until there were five of them, all approaching in an arc, their dark-pewter masks all too familiar.

The door slammed shut and they moved, as one. Isaac did his best to defend himself, pushing one against Allison's dresser, breaking one of her lamps in the process. He transformed instantly, doing his best to fight back. But the sheer speed of their movements, in conjunction with their synchronous movements overwhelmed him. He was losing to these figures, and fast.

— Ʌ | Ʌ | Ʌ —

Isaac woke close to noon the next day. He opened his eyes slowly and found that he was in Allison's room, causing the memories of last night to come flooding back to him. What had those things been? Why had they been there and why attack him? And Argent…why did he think they were after him? He closed his eyes again and listened, hearing only one heart beat in the apartment. He rolled over and saw his phone on Allison's table under the window. There were five texts from Scott and a missed call. Isaac smiled uncontrollably, prepared to text him back when Allison came in.

"How are you feeling?" she asked, leaning against her doorframe.

"Read to go trick or treating," Isaac said, smirking up at her. She laughed and walked up to the end of the bed. "Did your dad find anything more about what those things were?" he asked as he propped himself up to lean against the headboard.

"I don't know, he was gone when I woke up."

"What'd you tell Scott?" She looked at him weird and Isaac held up his phone. "He left me a bunch of messages telling me to feel better."

"Oh. Yeah, I texted him and told him that you were exhausted from all the research we were doing last night."

Isaac nodded but a frown crept over his lips as he looked down at his phone. "I still wanna' tell him."

"And you can," Allison offered. "Just, give my dad some more time." Isaac nodded but he was still uneasy. He hated lying to his alpha. He hated lying to _Scott_.

— Ʌ | Ʌ | Ʌ —

"So, your dad locked his office?" Isaac said, looking at Allison as she tried to jimmy the lock. "And now you're trying to break in?"

"You could help," she began with a tool in her mouth, "and just force it open."

"And get shot by your dad. I'll pass." She looked back and frowned at him. "Why don't we just use your laptop?"

"Because his is faster. And mine's been acting up."

_Bzzz, bzzz_. It was coming from the table where Isaac had left his phone. He walked back into Allison's room and saw Scott's bright face smiling up at him. "Hey."

_~"How are you feeling?"_

"Refreshed. I'm not used to staring at a screen for so long."

_~"You will. So, Stiles and I need to take care of something. We, uh, we need to do something at the police station."_

"Does this have to do with Barrow? Allison told me you guys stopped him."

_~"Yeah…sorta.' Look, when I see you I'll tell you everything. But right now Stiles and I have some planning to do."_

"Planning? Scott what're getting into?"

_~"I'll explain later. Promise."_

"Do you need any help?"

_~"No. We got it covered…I think. If we do I'll call you."_

"You'd better."

_~"So, uh, I know this is kind of sudden, but Danny's throwing a blacklight party tonight. I dunno' where but if he gets it going, do you, uh, wanna' go with me?"_

Isaac sat down on the bed, his heart pounding hard against his chest as his nerves tingled all throughout his body. His face flushed and his vision tunneled. Scott was officially and publicly asking him out, something he'd never even dreamed would happen in reality, let alone so soon given his recent doubts that they'd even be together.

_~"Isaac?"_

"Um, uh, yeah?"

_~"'Yeah,' you'll go with me?"_

"Yeah." Isaac couldn't believe the words left his mouth. This was happening.

_~"Great."_

Isaac could picture Scott o the other end of the phone, that Scott-beaming-grin across his lips. That mental image forced Isaac to form a smile that only few had ever seen, one that Scott had only ever been privileged twice in seeing.

_~"So…I have a huge favor to ask you…"_

"I'm not telling Allison."

_~"But, Isaac—"_

"I'm _not_ telling Allison."

"Tell me what?" the huntress said as she entered the room, looking at Isaac amusedly and expectantly.

"Uh…"

"Is that Scott?"

Isaac nodded.

"More 'pack things?'"

"Something like that," Isaac answered.

She frowned but resigned. "I got the door open; I'll be in the office."

Isaac nodded and when she left Isaac whispered into the phone. "She's your ex-girlfriend. Why do I have to tell her?"

_~"Because I have to tell Stiles. And I can't come out to two people twice in one day. Please, dude? Really, I'd rather do it myself, but you're there and this 'thing'…it's really important."_

Isaac frowned, sighing as his head hung low. "Fine. But you owe me. A lot."

_~"You're awesome."_

"A lot, Scott," Isaac warned.

_~"I'm in your debt."_

Isaac looked over at the door and then straightened back out. "And you have to tell your mom. Tomorrow. First thing."

Scott was silent for a minute. _~"You drive a hard bargain, Lahey."_

"I'm risking getting stabbed or shot. For you. Again. You owe me this much."

_~"First thing, then."_ Isaac suddenly heard Kira's voice. _~"Hey, I gotta' go. I'll see you tonight?"_

"I'll be there. Wherever there is."

_~"I'll text you. Love you."_ Isaac froze, his heart beating painfully hard. _~"I mean, yeah, see you soon."_ And Scott hung up, leaving Isaac's ability to blink absent. Finally, he brought his phone down and slapped himself to wake up. _'Love you'_ kept ringing in his head, like a song that wouldn't quit bothering, only this wasn't a bother in the slightest.

Finally, after mulling over the echoing words, Isaac got up and found himself in the office. "Danny's organizing a blacklight party tonight. Scott wants to know if we'll be there; I told him we would."

"Sounds fun." Isaac nodded, taking a seat in one of the very chair he'd been sitting in before they found Malia. "You okay?" Isaac shrugged, only then becoming aware that he was smiling. "Can you tell me now that Scott isn't listening?" Isaac looked up at her and his smile dropped. He shook his head and she shrugged with her eyes before looking back at the screen. "I have methods of getting information out of werewolves. Give it some time." Isaac's mouth opened and she smiled over at him, forcing him to swallow harder than normal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Despite the obvious Scira/Scallison stuff going on, and where it's headed, I just want to reassure my readers that despite it all I'm trying to persevere and figure out how to twist each episode so it works for Scisaac. So far so good and, with the next chapter, which will cover the second half of "Illuminated," I've already figured out how to spin it all. So, stay tuned, enjoy, and comment if you so please (I love you long time if you do XD ). On a side note, the first person to guess where the title is from gets a free request oneshot. Leave it in the review section. And no cheating! ;)


	15. Silver Tongue

"Can you tell me now?" Allison said, having just pulled out of her apartment complex's garage.

"Nope."

"How 'bout now?"

"Still nope," Isaac replied, smirking as he looked out the window.

A zapping sound filled his ears and he looked over to see an active taser a few inches from his face. "How 'bout now?"

"Uh…"

Allison shut it off and shoved it against her thigh close to the gear shift, sporting a devilish grin.

After a moment passed, Isaac's resolve broke. "Give me the taser first and I'll tell you." She looked down at it and he picked up before tossing it onto the floor in the back. "Any other weapons?" She looked at him as if to say _'Obviously'_ and he only held out his hand. She rolled her eyes and started removing the few blades she carried on her person, placing them each in his hand. "We're going to a party, Allison, not fight club."

"'Be prepared,'" she iterated.

He shoved them in the pocket in his door and looked at her. "Pull over here."

"I need to be stopped for this?" she asked, raising an eyebrow as she pulled off into a deserted shopping center.

"Scott wanted to do this himself, and I think he would have, but there's something important he has to take care of." He paused, and he knew she was looking him more confused now than expectantly. "Scott, he…" Isaac stopped and breathed, closing his eyes and forcing his nerves down. "Scott didn't just tell me about the party tonight." He looked over at her and he saw her face. She could tell what was about to leave his lips. Somehow she just knew. "Scott asked me to go with him." Allison immediately turned to look out over the steering wheel; Isaac turned, too, looking out windshield.

While an hour seemed to pass in their heads, reality reflected that only ten minutes had past when Allison broke the silence. "How long?"

Isaac looked over at her, a clear line of tears running down her visible cheek. "Since the night of the storm." She nodded, her expression indicating that, for some reason, she wasn't surprised. "Allison—"

"Don't. It's okay." Isaac looked back out the front, not knowing what to do. Finally she started up again, this time more disbelieving. "I mean, ever since you moved in with him, Lydia's joked but…" she shook her head, still in shock. "I never actually thought…" She closed her eyes and her head fell back against the rest. She took a deep breath and wiped both her cheeks and eyes.

"He wanted to tell you," Isaac said. "I told him he should. That it should come from him." She didn't respond. "If you don't wanna' go now, I understand—"

"No, we're going." She faced him and forced a smile. "I'm having fun tonight. Scott-free fun. And when it's over, then I'll kill him." She held out her hand expectantly, grinning at him with the same devilish grin she had only just sported. Isaac sighed but, picking up on her resolve, began to hand her back the blades in the door.

— Ʌ | Ʌ | Ʌ —

"When I see him I'm gonna tell Scott what happened," I said as we walked down the hallway towards Derek's apartment.

"We have a couple hours, remember? We promised my dad."

"You promised your dad," I countered.

"I promised him in order to protect him," she defended.

"You did, I didn't."

"Is protecting my father such a bad thing?" she said with a laugh.

"I don't like keeping secrets from Scott."

"No you don't. From me on the other hand…"

I didn't reply at first but as we got to the large sliding door I said. "I deserved that." She nodded but shook it off. I opened the door and we both looked out, amazed at the sight before us. It truly was a blacklight party of the highest order: a sea of fluorescent bodies dancing to the most extraordinary music. Danny really outdid himself. "Derek can never know about this."

— Ʌ | Ʌ | Ʌ —

When I finally saw Scott for the first time in over 24 hours, I saw him walk in with Stiles and Kira. Stiles was talking about something, and that something seemed to trouble him. Scott, on the other hand, seemed completely immersed in the party, and, if I had to guess based on his expression, he was looking for something. And I'm pretty sure I know what that _something_ was.

Stiles eventually took off after this girl that kissed him and Scott resumed his search; I watched him, waiting for him to spot me. He made sure to keep Kira close, but her grip on his wrist indicated that something beyond 'just friends' may have been on her mind. His expression changed and I looked across the room to see his eyes follow into Allison's face. They shared a knowing look, a silent conversation that I'm not sure I'd ever be privy to. Allison extended the olive branch, first, and smiled at him, and he returned the gesture and I knew, despite her posturing in the car earlier, that things would be fine.

Kira seemed to slip away and his search changed to finding her. I could tell he was using more than just his human eyes, his alpha red obvious only to me. He kept looking until he found her, and then his eyes locked. But not in the gaze he used for me…it was different…like he was seeing something new that he'd never seen before. He squeezed his way over to her and he said something into her ear. She laughed at whatever it was and he looked back around the room, spotting me finally. He grabbed her hand and led them over to me. And finally, for the first time in front of anyone—not to mention that it was a room full of dozens of people—he kissed me with no hesitation.

"This is Isaac," he said to her.

She smiled at me and leaned in. "I remember you. Sorry I was so awkward then."

I shook my head. "It's fine…I used to be the same way."

"What changed that?"

I looked at Scott. "He did." She smiled and looked at my alpha. Whatever had happened over the last 24 hours, it could wait. Because whatever it was, Scott seemed to be doing what only Scott could do: show people the better side of things.

"You don't have any paint on," Scott said after leaning towards me.

"Neither do you."

"I just got here."

I shrugged. "We should do something about that."

Scott nodded and the three of us walked over to the blonde that had been painting Danny not long ago. She looked at Kira first and asked, "Face or body?" Kira looked at us for help and Scott leaned forward.

"Face," he answered and the girl had Kira stand still. He looked at me and we shared a look that I'd missed sharing. "How 'bout you?"

"Face," I answered. He smirked and looked around at the crowd. I leaned closer to his ear and said. "I wanna' do yours. But I wanna' paint your body." He looked at me awestricken, before, after seeing I was serious and that my smirk was as devious as it could be, stripping himself of his jacket and his two shirts. He handed them to me and I slipped them under the table before looking him up and down, relishing that all that was before me was mine to do with as I pleased. I picked up a brush with hot pink paint on it and leaned to his ear again. "Consider this payment number one." He smirked at me and nodded.

— Ʌ | Ʌ | Ʌ —

The three of us were dancing as hard as the rest of the room. Kira, for as shy as she normal was, really knew how to get into it. Scott and I danced more together, neither of us able to wipe the grins off our lips. Kira, she seemed to be dancing around us if not right next to us, sometimes even forcing us to dance with her. And looking at her, at her enthusiasm, how could we not? I looked over at one point and saw Lydia leaning against a column. She caught my gaze and then saw Scott close to me and, through a smile, she mouthed _'Finally.'_ I smirked back at her and returned my gaze to Scott. This was how it should be. All the time and everywhere. The two of us with nothing else mattering. And yes, Kira was there, and I hoped this would be the only time she'd share a dance with us, but for that moment, seeing Scott look at me the way I'd only dreamed he would, I could accept that.

I looked down and saw the sweat in my shirt and, for the first time, I noticed that I was hot. "I'm gonna' get us some drinks." Scott smiled even brighter and I slipped away. Grabbing a couple bottles of water, I looked over and saw Scott's eyes following Kira as she made her way through the crowd in the opposite direction. He looked back at me before attempting to follow her. I watched as he was soon led up to the roof so I made my own attempts to follow.

I got to the door at the end of the hallway when I heard Scott ask, "You okay?"

"Yeah," Kira answered, sounding a little unsure. "I mean, it's just…"

"Overwhelming? Scott offered.

"Yeah." She paused for a minute before saying, "Some of the paint on your face is smudged."

"Oh." To be honest, if I think I'm right about the spot she was talking about, that was actually _my_ paint.

"Here, let me."

"Still there," she said more perkily.

"Noo…" I could hear Scott continuing to wipe at it.

"Ahh, let me," she replied, giggling a little.

"Oh my god," Scott said, too, through a laugh. "I can't believe you just 'mom'd' me."

"I did not 'mom' you."

"You totally 'mom'd' me."

"Okay, I might've slightly 'mom'd' you." They shared a laugh at it until there was silence, Kira the first to break it. "How are you so okay with all this? I just showed you a picture that would send anyone else running the other way."

"It didn't look that bad to me," Scott said simply.

"It looked like a demon from hell."

"I guess I saw something different."

"What did you see?"

"It kinda' looks like it's, uh, protecting you. Kinda' like armor. And it doesn't look like a demon to me."

"What do you think it looks like?"

"It looks like a fox." Scott paused for a moment. "I should find Isaac; he was supposed to be getting us some drinks." He heard me in the hallway.

I made my to the door and opened it just as Kira went to reach for the handle. "You guys okay?" I faked. She nodded and slipped by me, handing her one of the bottles in the process. "Something weird happened to you, too?" Scott looked at me, puzzled. "Don't worry about it," I said, taking a seat next to him. "Later." I leaned in to kiss him and I felt his hand wrap around the painted side of my face, sliding back to my neck. That's when he pulled back. "What's wrong?"

"There's something on your head, behind your ear." I looked at him, my confusion surely switching to concern. "C'mere," he said, pulling me closer. He studied it for a brief second when he pulled out his phone. "Hold on." The flash lit up and he pulled it back so we could both see.

"What is that?"

"I don't…wait." He flipped the image around. "It looks like the number five." We shared a look when a roar filled our ears. A familiar roar. From a familiar werewolf. "Derek?" he said standing and looking out over the ledge. He turned back and we shared a second knowing look. We made our way to the roof entrance to find Kira sitting against the hallway wall by the door leading down; when she saw us she smiled at us and we proceeded to make our way back down. When we got there, the music was off and people were running out.

But that wasn't all we saw.

Standing in the shadows of the room were those very things that had attacked me. They were tall, garbed in all black and a sort of miasma leaking out of their hoods. Kira, she had mentioned 'demons from hell'…these guys, with their masks, were definitely that. Across the room was Allison, propping up a weakened Ethan; Aiden was off on his own, looking slightly terrified when they all turned to face him.

"Guys…" he began, "they're all looking at me. They took one step forward in unison, all five them. "Why are they all looking at me?" They took another, and then another. "Guys?" Aiden cried, more panicked now.

Scott moved first, Derek reacting in the same manner, the two moving to the offense. They fought hard, swiping and dodging as the five shadowy beings seemed to evade with ease. I stood there, debating about _actually_ helping one of the twins or just standing there to protect Kira. One of them kicked Derek in the back, sending him to the ground, though through all my experience with him, I knew that wouldn't keep him down for long. These things moved insanely, their Japanese attire clearly not just for show. Scott evaded some crazy aerial kick just as Derek rose back up to his feet, roaring at them with his fangs in clear view. He lunged and snapped one of their necks, causing us all to exhale sharply, our hoping spirits shattering when the miasma seemed to retract back into it. That had no effect at all.

It thrust him into the column next to them, all of them turning their focus towards Scott and Aiden, the former of which was standing to protect him. They moved again as one, each throwing some insane martial move towards Scott, my alpha doing his best to dodge whatever they threw at him. But that didn't last long either as one of them thrust a palm to his chest, sending him flying back into a vertical pipe. That's when my instincts kicked in: Aiden was one things, Scott was another. I drew forth my claws, their attention all back on Aiden. But they were ready and only one of them turned around before reaching inside himself, drawing forth a sword and brandishing it threateningly. I took a step back, knowing this was something I couldn't handle alone.

"Somebody do something," Allison called out, Ethan still clinging to her support. The five shadow-things surrounded Aiden, two holding him steady, two guarding their prey, and the middle—he clung to Aiden's skull and seemed to prick at the back of his ear. Right in the spot where I found my own tattoo.

Suddenly they rounded on Kira and Scott got to his feet, his own wolfish features working into overdrive as they took a step towards his friend. And just when round two was about to kick off, the sun rose into view and its rays blasted into the apartment. Like sand in the wind, they evaporated before our eyes. Ethan ran over to his collapsed brother and Scott and I exchanged a look. "What the hell were those things?" Scott said, looking from me to Derek.

I looked over at Allison and she at me. "Your dad's 24 hours are up," I said before looking back at Scott, his own gaze now directed at me. He had questions, and I had answers. And from the look on Derek's face, he did, too.

"Do you know what those things were?" Scott asked, clearly annoyed that I'd kept something from him.

"Not exactly," I replied, looking at Allison. "I wasn't over-tired last night," I continued, looking back at Scott. "I was attacked, by those things."

"Isaac—"

"Argent asked us to give him 24 hours. I was going to tell you sooner but this isn't exactly a phone conversation and you had me handling… _other things_ …" I could tell, Scott, being Scott, had already let his annoyance go. He looked at me like he used to look at me: with a non-judgmental sympathy. "When they attacked me, they rendered me unconscious somehow. I woke up freezing cold and Allison's dad snapped me out of it by triggering my healing."

"That's what I did with Ethan," Allison added, looking at the twins to her right.

"I think those things left that mark," I said, lightly rubbing the '5' shaped marking behind my ear.

"I've got one, too," Derek said, touching his.

The twins examined the spots behind their ears and found identical ones as well. "We found Lydia on the balcony," Aiden added, "freezing cold like you described. Danny took her home but I bet she's got one, too." A collective look went around the room, each of us pondering what the hell was going on.

"We can ask my dad," Allison said, all of us shifting our focus to her. "After we found Isaac, he said some things…cryptic things…and he locked us out of his office. He knows something."

"Then we go see him," Scott directed, looking from Allison to me. "Now." He looked at Derek and the twins and said, "It's probably best we don't all go. Argent may be retired—"

"But he's still a hunter," Derek finished. "I get it. Go…find out what you can."

"We'll let you know what we come up with," Scott said, and the four of us—Scott, Allison, and Kira—made our way downstairs. "I'm gonna' take Kira home," he said, stopping me while the girls walked over to the parking garage. "I'll meet you at Argent's?" I nodded, turning to follow the girls when he stopped me. "Hey," he said, forcing me to look at him. "I'm not mad. Actually, I'm just glad you're okay," he added, taking my hand and pulling me closer. He smiled at me, and I couldn't help but do the same. "Just, uh, just don't keep any more—"

"Secrets from you," I finished. "That's what I told Allison."

He smiled even brighter. "Allison who?" he said, pulling me into a kiss. He made to push it further as his lips began to part, when a honk from the parking garage filled our ears. We smiled against each other's lips, Scott pecking me once more before we turned to see Allison standing outside her car, driver's door open and arms crossed. Kira was standing next to Scott's bike, her back to us; I still think my theory is right about her…she _is_ interested in Scott.

— Ʌ | Ʌ | Ʌ —

The ride to Argent's apartment was arguably the most awkward moment in my life. Allison left the radio off again, but instead of being upset like she had been hours before, she only smirked…the whole _effin_ ' drive. I refused to look at her directly, targeting most of my gaze outside the cool window next to me. When we pulled into the sub-ground garage, Allison finally spoke. "He's a good kisser, isn't he?"

"Really, Allison?" I replied, immediately blushing at her question, definitely not looking at her.

"I'm just asking."

"Mmhmm…"

"I think it's because he's a werewolf."

"What is?"

"That he's a good kisser," she replied nonchalantly.

I banged my head against the window.

"It makes you passionate, doesn't it?"

"Allison, I'm not having this conversation…especially not with _you_."

"Look, I just want you to know, I'm not mad. I mean, I'm jealous, which sucks admitting. But I'm not mad."

"You're jealous?" I asked, finally looking at her right before she parked.

"I…" she began, but stopped herself with a sigh. "I'm going through a lot. And my love life it's…complicated. I don't know why I'm telling you this, and you can't tell Scott I—"

"I thought I told you I don't like keeping secrets from him."

"Fine. Never mind then."

"Should we go in then?"

She shook her head, smirking. "You're frustrating, you know that?" I only shrugged. "My hearts tells me I still miss him. But my brain…for some reason I just can't."

"It has to do with your mom?"

She nodded. "I just…I can't forget what Derek did. And why he did it. I know it's not Scott's fault, that he's only the victim in it all. But I just…" She stopped and finally looked out her own window. "And then there's you."

My eyebrow raised. "Me?"

"I thought…I was starting to think there's was something between us. And for all the same reasons I can't be with Scott, it doesn't matter and it doesn't matter with you. I like you. Stupid, I know. You're with him and I just have to accept that." She laughed to herself a little.

"Allison—"

"Let's just go up. Like I said," she finished, turning to look at me, a forced smile on her lips, "I'm not mad. I'm actually happy for you."

— Ʌ | Ʌ | Ʌ —

As we stepped off the elevator, we noticed the door to their apartment was open. She walked in first and we immediately spotted her dad lying on the floor unconscious. "Dad!" Allison yelled, instantly going to his side. We helped him sit up as he roused, looking dazed and even a little shocked to see where he was. "What happened?"

Argent continued to blink, I assumed he was still trying to gather his bearings. A spot above his left eye was bloody and, based on his bloody hand, I thought he may have had a concealed wound on his arm or shoulder. "Alli…Allison…" he mumbled, his eyes closing as he thought to lose consciousness. Allison shook him and his eyes opened again, looking at her with a weak smile.

"I'll get him some water," I said, running back into the kitchen. I went through several cabinets to find a glass and ultimately found one before digging out my phone in my pocket. I put the glass down in the ink and turned the water on so I could text Scott.

 _::hurry over here. argents been attacked::_ I typed. I took the glass and ran back over to see Allison checking his pulse on his wrist. She took the glass from me and helped him sip it, Argent looking up at me gratefully.

"Let's get him in the office," Allison began, "there's a first aid kit in there." I nodded and helped her get him to his feet. We slowly walked him in there and helped him sit in his computer chair. "Dad, what happened?" Allison repeated again before starting her hunt for the little white box. She swore a few times, knowing it should have been in the spots she was looking but for some reason it wasn't.

 _::on my way up::_ appeared on my phone—from Scott.

"Scott's here," I announced and left the room to let him in. Just as the elevator _dinged_ I opened it to see his concerned face. "Hey," I said and he kissed my cheek before walking in. I followed him into the den to Allison working on her father's wounds, his jacket pulled down revealing a blotch of blood towards the front of his upper arm.

"What happened to him?" Scott asked, taking a seat in the chair to his right; I took a seat on the arm of the chair to his left.

"It doesn't matter," Chris finally answered. "There's something you need to know."

— Ʌ | Ʌ | Ʌ —

Argent's tale seemed to provide even more questions than answers. Yes, some of the details were helpful—as long as you don't hold the word to the strictest definition. Yakuza. A mystery monster. This guy Katashi. The shattered mask. Faces made of 'absolute darkness.' This was all becoming a little much to handle.

"So, all of the werewolves have been attacked but you?" Argent asked, looking at Scott. "Any idea why that is?"

"I don't know," Scott answered.

"Well, that's not entirely true," I added. "Before the sun came up, they almost did. After they were done with Aiden, you were next…they were all facing you."

"What if it's not me they were after?"

"Who else would it be?" Allison posed, looking puzzled.

"Kira," I answered, seeing it written on Scott's face.

He nodded. "There's something unique about her. I don't what it is…but I'm pretty sure it's supernatural."

There was a silence in the room for a moment before Argent spoke again. "I have an idea as to how to get to Katashi. You may want to look more into Kira." Scott nodded and he turned to leave before looking at me.

"Stay here, help them with Katashi," Scott asked me. "Call me when you get something."

"I'll walk you out at least," I said after nodding, earning a look from Argent, Allison smirking behind him. I followed Scott out to the elevator, cracking the door behind me. He pushed the button so we had a moment. "Be careful," I said, looking down into those chocolate eyes.

"You, too," he said with a grin, walking up to me and placing his hands on my hips. "You know, I'd take you with me, but I need you here. I trust you with this." I blushed at that word— _trust_. I leaned down and kissed him just as the elevator _dinged_ , an older woman serving as our instant audience as she got off. We smirked against each other's lips, still kissing and even laughing into each other. "I'll see you soon."

"You'd better," I replied. He nodded and walked into the lift, pushing the button a button on the panel. Just as the doors began to close, I stopped them with my hand and said, "Oh, and Scott, I love you, too." I winked at him as he blushed, that same goofy, dorky, only-could-be-on Scott smile reappearing on his lips.

— Ʌ | Ʌ | Ʌ —

For the record, Argent's 'Plan B' sucked—even in retrospect. I dressed in his suit and tie and shook my head, looking down at myself. "Guys," I said, looking over the top of the SUV. "This isn't, this isn't gonna' work: I look ridiculous." I walked around towards the front, checking out the jacket and my shirt, this damn set of notes in my hands that made no sense whatsoever. "I mean…I-I-I look like I just stepped out of the last period of a Catholic prep-school and there is no way that I am gonna' be able to remember all this I mean, what does this even mean: revolving over and under barrels?"

They looked at each other, a look I couldn't seem to read. "All you have to do is keep them talking long enough to allow us to get inside and find Katashi. He may not be there for buy in person but he won't be far."

"You look great," Allison tried to reassure me.

"I am sweating all the way through my jacket," I exclaimed. "I-I didn't even know that I could, I could sweat this much."

"Give me a second," Allison said, smiling at her dad. She grabbed me by the wrist and led me to back of the car, eliciting another look from her father, the same one now _armed_ with his guns. "You can do this," she continued. I let out a heavy sigh and looked down, doubt still in the forefront of my mind. "You're not a boy, if you walk in there acting like a man, okay? Go in there with confidence," she furthered, tucking the front of my shirt in my pants, eliciting a look from _me_ now, "and all they'll see is a boyish looking man."

"Or a stupid teenager pretending to be a man," I retorted. "I don't wanna' get my head blown off by a bunch of Japanese fingerless mobsters—"

"Isaac, stop. Breathe. Do you trust me?"

"Not really," I answered honestly, instantly recalling our first violent encounter.

But she looked at me as if to say _'Really?'_ and I could only nod despite myself. "Close your eyes." When I looked at her funny, she repeated herself. I closed them and she continued. "I used to do something like this with Scott." I went to open my eyes when her glare threatened to force me. "Think about him, about the first time he kissed you," she said more quietly. "Think about his hands on you. Where they were. How they felt. Think about his touch." My breathing became heavy as my imagination thought back to that night on his bed. "Think about him naked," she whispered a few inches from my lips, her hand suddenly pushing down against my belt. I know I gasped out, too lost in my imagination to consider any of the repercussions this could have. As soon as I let out my in-held breath, she pulled back and I saw her looking up at me with a succubus' grin. "How do you feel now?" she asked, and I couldn't help but remain totally focused…on _Scott_. I know an uncontrollable grin spread across my lips, one that even threatened to be as stupid as Scott's, and I knew that this trick…I could get used to Scott doing something like this in the future. I could always use a little more _focus_.


	16. Enigmatic

I ran on all-fours through the darker alleys to the hospital; Scott's text seemed panicked:

_::Meet me at the hospital::_

I'd just gotten back to the Argents' when my phone beeped. After reading it, I didn't give Allison or her dad much of an explanation as I darted out of there—Allison's three subsequent worried texts told me that I shouldn't do that again. Unlike a few nights ago, this run seemed to be a simple walk from the car to the house. Yes, I was running faster. Yes, I'd already travelled this route once before. But I know the real reason…the usual common denominator. _Scott_.

When I walked in, I saw three BHPD deputies posted in the hospital again and I saw Melissa on the far side of the nurses' station talking to one of her husband's associates. I hurried over there and Melissa stopped talking to the man for a minute; she must have been able to read the worry on my face as she pulled me into a hug. "He's okay, Isaac," she said, rubbing my back comfortingly.

"What happened?" I asked, pulling back, seeing the hospital bustling once again.

She looked back at the FBI agent and, after noting he was out of earshot, turned back to me. "Scott called them 'oni.'" I looked at her alarmed, knowing where this was going. "They showed up at the house. His dad, they were arguing and then suddenly this thing showed up out of the shadows. He went to check it out when one of them stabbed him."

"Stabbed who?"

"Scott's dad," Melissa answered, and I finally released the tension built up in my lungs. "He's in surgery right now, but the pre-op indications look good."

"Are you okay?" I asked, pointing to the blood on her scrubs.

She nodded. "It's not mine." I forced a bunched smile and she patted me on the chest. "Scott's in the cafeteria with Stiles. He may not like his father—Lord knows he shouldn't—but deep down he still cares."

"He's Scott, it's what he does," I replied, and she smirked, nodding in total agreement. "I'll get out of your hair, then," I said, hugging her once more before wandering down the hall towards the cafeteria. When I walked through the double doors, I saw Scott sitting at one of the tables across the room with his back to me and Stiles getting up to leave at that moment. His best friend patted him on the shoulder and made toward my direction before spotting me.

I made to take Stiles' place when he stopped me. "I never got a chance to say this the other night, but just remember, if you hurt him, keep in mind Deaton's been teaching me some things." I smirked at him, calling his bluff when he matched my threatening eyes.

We stood there for a minute when only I could hear Scott say, "Seriously?" I broke our stare down and glanced over at Scott to see him looking at us both with disdain. I looked back at Stiles and we shared a knowing look before he left us.

"Hey," I began, hugging him from behind. He clung to my arms around his torso for a moment and it was in that singular moment that this all seemed like it was normalizing out. Scott and I were together. Period. "You okay?" I said as I sat down in the hard plastic chair perpendicular to him.

"It's been a long day…to say the least." I nodded, his exhaustion emanating through his expression. "So, I need to tell you a couple things."

"Are you sure you don't wanna' talk, about your dad?" He nodded but also gave me a bit of a look. "Okay, okay, I just wanted to be sure. Boyfriends are supposed to be concerned and ask questions." As soon as the b-word left my mouth, he blushed and then I realized, no, _this_ was the moment things were normalizing out.

"I like the sound of that," he said, grinning at me.

I looked away, now trying to hide my own blush and embarrassing grin. "So, more news?" I tried, still not looking up.

"I learned something about Kira today. I was right, there's something special about her." I looked up at him questioningly. "She's a kitsune. She showed me this children's book about them and starting saying how she thinks she may be one and all. I heard Derek confirm it, too, to the twins."

"The aura around her…you were right. It does look like a fox."

"So you _were_ eavesdropping on us," he said, that evil grin on his face again, only this time it was all Scott's. I couldn't help but look away and try to deny it, but he could see right through me. "You're a little over protective of me," he jibed. "You know I can take care of myself?"

"Oh," I began, leaning into him with my own mischievous look, "don't I know it…my _alpha_." He blushed immediately and looked away. I leaned back and chuckled, happy that I could get to him in _that_ way. "So, you said there were a couple things?"

"Yeah," he continued, looking around the room before leaning towards me and turning his head. He pulled forward on his ear and there, just like my own, was the Japanese kanji for 'self.' "They tagged Kira, too, so she's not this 'nogitsune,' either. And I guess while you were on your way over here, Allison texted me. She sent me some information about the meeting with Katashi. I guess it means 'self'…not 'five' like we thought." He paused, noting my silence. "Allison also said you look hot in a suit." My mouth fell open and he only beamed at me—he won this round. "Speaking of you, and looking hot, I know I promised to tell my mom about us but I just—"

"Really, Scott?" I said, looking at him in disbelief. "With all that's happening, you think I'm even remotely bothered by that? You can tell her when we're not hunting down serial killers and fighting off Japanese demons."

"I know it's just, I promised to tell her. It's important to you. And to me. She's my mom."

That's when I noticed that Melissa had just walked up. "Tell me what?"

I froze and I'm pretty sure Scott did, too. He got up, though, and changed the topic. "Has there been any word?" Melissa shook her head and looked down at me, the two of sharing a knowing look about her words earlier—he _does_ still care.

"He's still in surgery, though they should be done pretty soon here. So, what is that you 'promised' to tell me?" Scott and I looked at each other as I got up, his heart beating noticeably faster than mine. "C'mon, spill."

"Mom," Scott began, "this can wait 'til later, really. I mean, there's more important things happening right now. Crazier things."

"Which is why some normal, non-crazy, unimportant news would be great right about now." We looked at each other again, Scott still looking unsure—this really wasn't the best timing, though, given how he 'came out' as a werewolf, this obviously seems more preferable. "C'mon, guys, you're killing me, here."

"Isaac and I…" Scott tried, but stopped. "We're…" He couldn't seem to muster the words, but when he looked at me, his next action said it all. He grabbed my hand and turned back to his mom with an embarrassed, unsure grin.

Melissa looked down and then said, "Oh. _Oh_." There was a silence for a minute, her mind unreadable based on her expression. "We should talk about this at home," she finally said, though a reassuring smile gave us ease enough to breathe normally. Scott nodded and the three of us walked out to the parking lot, Melissa explaining to the head nurse on duty that she was going home but that she'd be back to check in. Melissa led us to her car and Scott and I abnormally got into the back seat together. When we pulled out onto the main road, she started up again. "First thing's first: I'm not mad," she began, looking at us in the rear view mirror. "Quite the opposite, actually. I'm happy for you guys, especially after the conversations I've had with you."

"Conversations?" Scott inquired.

"Well Isaac came out to me the other day, and you, well you almost killed your father and that little conversation we had afterwards…"

"Oh. Right. That one," Scott kind of grumbled.

"Yes, that one. Isaac would make a great anchor—"

"Oh my god, mom," Scott exclaimed, his chin falling to his chest.

"Believe me, Scott, I'm just getting started." She grinned evilly and he grabbed my hand out of my lap, pulling it to rest on the cushion between us. "I said I'm happy for you guys, but I'm also, for all intents and purposes, your mother, too," she said, looking at me specifically.

"Mom, we aren't gonna' have the sex talk, are we?"

I know I immediately blushed and my breath hitched for a moment.

She laughed in disbelief. "Scott, I was gonna' talk about the doors. No! Absolutely no sex in the house." Scott looked at her incredulously. "Listen, don't think I still can't whip your little werewolf ass. Wait, oh my god, you guys aren't having sex already, are you?" His eyes widened a little, his head falling back onto the top of the seat. "How long _has_ this been going on?"

In the corner of my eye I saw Scott look over at me, and then back to the roof of the car. "That's kind of hard to answer."

"Try."

"Sort of since you were rescued." Her mouth fell open. "Sort of not. We… _I_ finally figured things out with my head a few days before the whole Barrow thing. So, kinda' since then?"

Melissa was silent for a minute, but finally started up again when we pulled into the development. "Just, boundaries guys. At least not while I'm home?" Scott nodded fervently and I brought myself out of my embarrassment to nod once myself. She seemed satisfied enough and we pulled up to the house silently.

When we walked in, it was refreshing to be home. It'd been almost two days since I had been. "I'm going to take a shower," Melissa announced. "Doors—open. Any 'playtime' or touching will be clean an innocent."

"Mom," Scott complained and I couldn't help but laugh. She looked at us half-warningly half-amusedly before walking up the stairs and closing her bedroom door behind her. "I swear she kills—mmph…"

I couldn't stop myself. Melissa talking about sex with Scott had gotten my imagination running like I had been earlier. And all this talk about not being able to do 'stuff' in the house just made shoving our lips together that much more dangerously exciting. His hands slid up the bare skin of my back beneath my blue t-shirt and my hands fell to grip his waist. He ground against me and I moaned into his mouth, our tongues sliding together to taste each other, something I'd been longing to do since we'd separated earlier this morning. I wanted this every time I came home.

Scott backed me up toward the stairs, but my legs just did not want to cooperate. I found myself easing back onto them, and although the hard wood was certainly not the most comfortable surface to lean on, Scott crawling on top of me made up for it. I grabbed onto the back of his jeans, holding him into me and squeezing just to get the feel of him. He could feel that I was just as into it and Scott began to ravish down at my neck, tugging at the base of my shirt.

"Sceh-Scott…" I moaned, "we can't…"

He nipped at my neck just under my jaw before travelling back up to my lips, still tugging, part of the back being released by one stair. "Why not?" he asked against my lips before pushing his tongue back in.

I could only pull him closer and push up into him, releasing another section of my shirt from another stair. "We're…we're on the stairs…and your mom…"

"Is standing right here," Melissa said. Like a cat, Scott jumped off of me and we both looked up at her. Standing at the top of the stairs, with her hands on her hips and that motherly-look of disapproval on her face, was the very woman who'd only just given us 'the talk.' "Seriously guys? Really?"

I looked over at Scott, propping myself up; he was as red as I'd ever seen him. "We thought you were taking a shower," Scott offered.

"I was out of shampoo," she said, her tone clearly not lightening up. She began to descend the stairs and I quickly got up, walking into the living room, not once making eye contact with her. "I'm gonna' get what I need, take a shower, and go back to the hospital. You think you can keep your clothes on for 20 minutes?" I looked back and Scott nodded, he, too, not making eye contact. She looked over at me and I could see the slightest of smirks on her lips before she made off into the laundry/storage room.

— Ʌ | Ʌ | Ʌ —

Those 20 minutes…those incredibly awkward and frustrating 20 minutes…I'm never getting them back. Scott and I barely looked at each other, both of us stealing a glance here and there, and only once did we actually do it at the same time. And speaking…there was none of that. Absolutely none. When Melissa finally came downstairs, she found us sitting quietly in the family room, myself in the armchair and Scott on the sofa, neither of us looking at her either.

"See, this is how it should be," Melissa said, leaning against the frame of the room, her arms crossed. "My two teenaged boys, sitting quietly and obediently and not getting into any sort of trouble. Supernatural or hormonal." Scott's head immediately fell back against the top of the couch, his eyes closing and his chest expanding as he took in a deep breath. "Alright, I'm leaving. Don't do anything I wouldn't do. Goodbye kisses?" She looked at us and when I snuck a glance up, she smirked. "That's okay, I know where those lips have been." While my face felt the new sensation of a tingly burn and my eyes fuzzed out to refocus, Melissa took her leave and we could hear her getting into the car and driving off.

"I'm not in the mood now," I said, my eyes on the coffee table. "Actually, I think I might even be sick." I paused for a minute, debating about what to do next in the bathroom: shower or vomit. "I think I'm gonna' take a shower…I feel dirty after that." I looked over at him, his head still fallen back on the couch, and got up. I made my way upstairs when I heard him following right behind me. I went to head into my room but Scott just forced me to keep walking towards his.

"I'm gonna' make you feel better," he said before pushing me onto his bed. I rolled over onto my back and before I could stop him my shirt was being yanked over my head. He started at my neck, kissing and tasting his way down. My hands wrapped in the back of his hair as his lips stopped in the center of my chest before turning to taste one of my nipples. I pushed up into him, letting out a gasp as some of the other wet marks began to dry in a cool, oddly delicious way. When he stopped at my navel, his name left my lips in an embarrassing way.

He took in a breath and I know he could smell the lust reeking out of me, the treasure trail beneath his lips leading to the main source of it all. But he stopped when he got to my belt. "Why do you smell like Allison here?" he asked, and I looked down. Suddenly, _that_ _smell_ filled my nose, even overpowering the lust emanating off of him.

Instead of backing down, I took a risk and pulled his green hoodie-shirt over his head and leaned up to him. "It smells like Kira in here, so shut up, _McCall_ ," I said before pulling his lips hard into mine. Instantly, the darkness evaporated from the room and he forced me back down, our lips still connected and moving harder than they had before. My hands slipped beneath his jeans and I squeezed once again, eliciting an amazing moan into my mouth. He moved back to nip at my distorted ear and I shuddered beneath him, clutching to the bare skin of his back with my claws. "C-C'mon _alpha_ …show me what you…what you really got," I challenged. And when my pants suddenly flew across the room, I knew that challenging him probably hadn't been the best idea.

— Ʌ | Ʌ | Ʌ —

Over the next two days, Scott really did prove himself as an alpha. Melissa would leave and not two seconds later I would find myself pinned to some surface, horizontally or vertically. He was insatiable in the most intense way and although I'm _only_ a beta, it'd be hypocritical to _not_ say that I am, too. Yes, there's this pack dynamic between us, but I'm just as direct and dominant as he is when it comes to 'us.'

Melissa left a little earlier today and I had Scott pinned on his bed before she'd even started the car. He ceded control to me, ceded his _trust_ to me, and I was sure not to betray that. We ended up in the shower afterwards, together, and I ended up doing things I never thought I was capable of, particularly being on my knees and tasting a part of him I never imagined I would.

Thankfully, we hadn't seen any more of the _oni_ , but that didn't mean that they were gone. This _nogitsune_ was still out there, but the question as to 'who it is' is still up in the air. Scott finally told me this morning about Stiles' theory, that he may be the one that sent Barrow after Kira; Scott didn't say it aloud, but I couldn't help thinking that if Stiles is right, that he may be the _nogitsune_.

That night Scott and I decided to sleep in his room together. Melissa seemed to be unfazed by our little revelation and we decided to chance it; besides, we were only sleeping together, not _sleeping together_. That hadn't come yet. Unfortunately, the peaceful night I'd been hoping for didn't happen. But it wasn't Melissa that disturbed us, it was Scott. "Isaac! I-Isaac, get up!" My eyes darted open. His voice was panicked and he was leaning against his dresser, his light on. I got out of bed as he was pulling out some clothes. "I need your help. Isaac!" I grabbed his shoulder and turned him towards me.

"Why, what's wrong?" I asked, looking at his worried eyes.

He handed me my helmet and said, "It's Stiles—get dressed."

"What's wrong with Stiles?" I asked, walking over to his desk-chair to change into my clothes from earlier that day.

He paused for a minute to breathe, hanging onto his dresser. "I don't know."


	17. Vastatio

"Okay, so I really don't get it," I said, walking with Allison towards the parking lot. "It's a _fake_ recording of a Japanese internment camp?"

Allison shrugged next to me. "Your guess is as good as mine."

"Send me a copy of that; I wanna' show it to Scott."

"You're going to the hospital with him, right?"

"Yeah. They're running tests all afternoon. Scott wants to be there for him."

We walked through the double doors when Allison finally spoke again, having been fiddling with her phone to send me a copy of the voicemails. "Don't you think it's odd that Scott always asks you to look after me? Or look for me, or whatever?"

I shrugged. She was right in a way. I'd never really put much thought into it, but the question rang very true. "He trusts me—I'm his go-to I guess. He knows that if he can't be there, he can count on me, since I'm like him."

"That's all?" she asked, giving me a skeptical look.

"Probably not. Scott's always going to care about you. He's Scott. Deep down, I think he's always going to love you."

She didn't speak at first. "Even though he's with you?"

I nodded, but her question gave me pause. "There's something else going on, too. I told you before that he sees things now, because of what you guys did." She nodded. "There're times he thinks we're together. You and me." Allison blinked, almost as if she were questioning if she heard right. "I know, but is seeing your aunt any crazier?"

"I suppose not."

We got to Scott's bike and I looked around—he was probably caught up or something. "I think he's testing me. I mean, I don't know if it's actually him that's testing me, or if it's subconscious. I just can't help but think…I dunno.'"

"Hey, don't worry about it. I'm sorry I asked."

I shot her a forced smile when I saw Scott walking down the stairs Allison and I had just come down. God, he looked miserable: his face was rather gaunt and his focus was at the ground below him. When he finally looked up and noticed us, his smile was even more forced than mine. I pulled him into a hug and we just stood there for a moment, doing my best to absorb any pain from him that I could, wishing that my powers could serve him emotionally and not just physically.

When he finally broke away, he looked at Allison. "Are you coming tonight?"

She shook her head. "I think my dad needs me tonight. There's something we need to look into," she said, shooting me a look.

Scott nodded, possibly missing the gesture towards me. "You might want to check on Lydia. She's…something's up with her."

"She already leave?" He nodded. "Alright, I'll try and see what's up with her." She shot us both a reassuring smile before walking off to her car. Scott handed me my helmet and soon we were speeding off towards home, my arms a little extra tight around his torso.

— Ʌ | Ʌ | Ʌ —

"Hey, we're just on the other side of that window," the Sheriff said before he, Melissa, and the doctor made their way towards me in the control room. I looked out at Scott and Stiles through the window, leaning against the wall, torn between feeling out of place and an overwhelming need to be in there for them. Melissa rubbed my arm comfortingly before turning to be with the Sheriff, the three of them giving Scott and Stiles a moment to themselves. I tried not to listen in, even focusing my hearing on some of the noises behind me outside in the hall. But when I saw Scott wipe away his tears, something struck me. Some emotions that I'd buried long ago began to resurface and when he embraced his _brother_ , the gates that had kept them at bay suddenly burst wide open.

I slipped out of the room, my breathing speeding up. I didn't know what was happening to me as tears began to rush down my face. My breathing became harder and I crashed back into the wall, closing my eyes and willing for it all to stop. Willing for the memories of Camden's dorky smile and amusing overconfidence to leave my mind. I could feel my body numbing and my legs losing their strength to hold me up as I slid down the wall, jabbing the heels of my palms to my eyes. I just wanted it to stop. I wanted this all to go away because I can't handle the fact that he's—

"Isaac. Isaac, c'mere." Arms wrapped around me, pulling me in. Pulling me _out_. My breathing slowed and when I breathed in, I knew. When I focused on the voice, I knew.

It was Scott.

He held me tight. He didn't ask. He just felt, and I knew he felt my pain—I could smell it.

I could smell his. It was sorrow. And hopelessness. It wrenched at my heart all over again but when his hands moved up and down my back, it drew me out again. He picked me up off the floor and pulled me in again. I breathed him in again and I could smell something hidden under all the hurt. It was need. Need to be held. Need for someone else to take him away. Need for someone to pull him out. Need for someone to be his alpha for even just a moment. I pulled back and he looked at me, his eyes sunken in. I pulled him close and kissed his forehead, just lingering my lips there for a second to show him that I was there. That I was here. For him. _Now_. _In this very moment_.

— Ʌ | Ʌ | Ʌ —

Isaac had only just gotten to the cafeteria when it began. He was upstairs for at least 20 minutes, sitting on the cushioned benches with Scott leaning against him when Derek showed up; he'd asked to speak with Scott one-on-one. Scott explained that he could cope but only if Isaac was okay, too. The blonde nodded, giving Scott another kiss to the forehead before making his way to the cafeteria, Scott yelling after him to not go too far.

But when he walked through the familiar double doors, that's when the lights flickered and a weakening humming sound filled his ears. Isaac looked over at the other people in the room when the room suddenly went black. He turned around to see that the hallway was just the same when the auxiliary power turned on. The smell of panic filled his nose and he could hear concern coming from all directions. He stepped back out into the hallway to find Scott when he heard it: screaming and the sound of roaring electricity. He pushed through the crowds towards the front entrance to see a large electrical cable going haywire.

And there was Kira, almost being struck by it. He moved to push her out of the way when she dodged it herself. An ambulance suddenly crashed and there, right by it, was Allison. She'd just pulled up and gotten out of the car when he saw the ambulance driver get out and suddenly collapsed. Isaac looked down and saw the spreading water…water that was rushing towards Allison. "Allison!" Isaac roared as he dashed over to her, making it in time to force her out of its path and into the grass. But Isaac hadn't been so lucky and the last sounds he heard were his name being yelled after him before he collapsed into the electrical pool.

Kira managed to stop the electricity after Scott and Derek managed to make their way down. That's when Scott spotted the boy in grey collapsed off to the side. "No, no, no, no, no…Isaac!" He ran over to him, leaving Derek's side to crouch next to him. "Isaac," he whispered, rolling him and shaking him, checking for a pulse, for his breath. "He's not breathing…Derek! Help me!"

— _Ʌ | S | Ʌ —_  


"Scott!"

I looked out to see Allison and thrust my hand forward to prevent the elevator from closing. "What are you doing here?" I asked as my mom gave Allison a hug.

"I came to see you…make sure you were alright."

"How'd you know—" and then I saw it on my mom's face.

"I thought you could use your friends," she admitted and I nodded. "I'd have called Stiles but…"

"They're gonna' find him," Allison assured. "My dad's even out looking for him."

"So's Derek," I offered.

The elevator dinged and we stepped out onto the floor leading to the ICU. "Are you sure they'll let us see him?" Allison asked. "I mean, they have rules about family and all, right?"

"He's got us," my mom said, patting my shoulder a little. "And yes, there's rules, but I've got a key card," she offered, smirking as she held one up. We walked down the halls towards his room when we stopped and she swiped us in. "Be quick," she said and I slowly shuffled in, Allison behind me. She grabbed my hand and squeezed, nodding at me.

We slowly moved forward, together, and when I saw his face, my heart stopped for a second. The electrical burn forged into his face…it was bad. And the smell in the room, it's a smell I wish I'd never have to encounter again. "I thought he'd be healing by now," Allison said.

"I did, too," I said, but looking at him told me I was wrong. I lightly placed my hand above a worse burn on his forearm and instantly I could feel the agony coursing through him—the source of the smell.

"Is he in pain?"

I nodded, still stricken by it. I reached further up, hoping to grasp smoother skin when I drew his pain into me. It was so much. It was so intense. And it was breaking me as each second passed. He stirred and the monitor began to beep a little faster. The beeping almost started to overlap and the pain became too much for me. There was too much in him and I felt every bit of it even in my heart. I gasped out, my breathing ruffled by it and I felt Allison grab my arm. "It…it won't heal him but…it helps with the pain."

"Did Stiles really do this?"

"Whatever's controlling him did it. Whatever's inside of him."

"Then how do we get whatever's inside of him the hell out of him?"

"I'm working on it," answered, looking down at Isaac's suffering form. I closed my eyes and breathed for a second, almost trying to will him to get better. With all my powers, I felt so helpless in that moment. Seeing the boy I loved lying there. Motionless. Sedated. In total anguish. I reached my hand out again when Allison tried to stop me.

"Scott, I know you care about him, but you can't kill yourself trying to save him. He loves you, but he wouldn't want you to die trying to save him. Not like this."

I looked at her for a moment before turning back to him. I grabbed the same spot from before and felt it all rushing into me again, crushing my teeth together. "I would've done this for you," I said.

— _Ʌ | S | Ʌ —_  


I looked into his eyes, into my best friend's eyes and I knew—in that crazed look, behind that damp, moldy, mossy smell—that my best friend was lost somewhere in there. But right now, I wasn't dealing with my best friend. I was dealing with the _nogitsune_ inside of him. He danced his fingers along the hilt of the sword imbedded in my stomach and I feared what he'd do to me. I could smell my fear, and I knew he was anything like me, he could, too. "You okay?" he asked me, everything about his movements telling me he meant no harm; but that was in his movements, because his eyes said everything differently.

"Please don't. Stop."

"It's okay," he assured as he grabbed the handle. I felt a twinge inside of me as it tilted slightly. He moved forward and placed his hand on my shoulder as if he was ready to pull it out. But he only twisted it and I crumbled, completely at his mercy. I yelled and gasped and begged. I cried out and he was talking to me, telling me to look at him.

"You should have done your reading, Scott," he said, forcing more pain into me as he pushed the blade. "See, a nogitsune feeds off chaos, strife, pain. This morning you took it off Isaac, then you took it from coach, and then from a dying deputy. All that pain…you took it all. Now, give it to me!" And suddenly I could feel it all moving within me. The pain. Like giving blood, I could feel it all moving up to where his hand was on the side of my face, most of it stemming from the pain in my abdomen. I was lost in the sensation, it almost numbing my body when he finally let go.

"You fear, Scott. You fear me. You fear losing everyone around you. You fear losing the dying boy in the hospital, the feeling of him dying at your touch the way that deputy did. That total loss, it scared you, didn't it? It's been eating at you. It _pains_ you. Doesn't it, Scott?"

"Stop…"

"Ah, you really have to learn, Scott. You really have to learn not to trust a fox. Mm, mm. No, 'cuz they're tricksters. They'll fool you. They'll fool everyone."

"Not everyone."


	18. House of W

The first thing I noticed when I woke up was the light beeping noise next to me. Every couple seconds it dinged, letting me know that I was alive. I slowly opened my eyes and that was the second thing I noticed: everything was heavy. Everything was stiff. Everything was tense. I looked down at myself and found I was in the hospital, blanket covering me, dressed in one of those death-reeking gowns. The vision in my right eye was more blurred than the other and I could see the remains of a burn mark on my forearm, the skin all red and grey. I tried shifting a little, pushing myself up on the pillow and even that was hard. My whole body seemed like it was on lockdown and every new touch tingled.

"I'm glad to see you're awake," came a familiar voice as the door opened. I glanced across the larger room and saw Melissa smiling back at me, dawned in red scrubs and a chart in hand. I returned the gesture and she walked over to me. "It's good to see that smile on your face, sunshine."

"What happened?" I asked.

"Ohh, where to begin…" she said, checking the machines on my left before walking over to a drawer to pull out some equipment. "What's the last thing you remember?"

I looked at her as she walked around and began to inspect my arm and face—I guess I'd been burned there, too. I thought hard, really trying to recall what exactly had landed me here. "We were here for Stiles. Derek came and needed to talk to Scott and then…the hospital lost power."

"Anything else?"

"Kira she…something happened with an electrical cord. And that's…yeah, that's it."

"Scott found you lying in a pool of water outside the hospital. You were electrocuted by the water. These," she said, pointing to my arm and face, "are severe electrical burns. Well, they're healing now but you get my point."

"How long have I been out?"

She frowned, looking back at the door. "Maybe you should talk to Scott about that? He's outside in the hall."

I shook my head as best as I could. "Just tell me…please."

She sighed. "Almost five days."

"Five…days…?"

"It's alright, sweetheart," she said, touching my unburned cheek with the back of her hand. "I need to get the doctor but I'll send Scott in, give you guys a couple minutes. I know he definitely wants to see you" She flashed a bunched-smile my way and turned to leave.

And before I could even consider my next words, I said, "Thanks, _mom_." She turned and beamed at me before walking out through the door. Through all of the discomfort, I pushed myself up as far as I could and for the first time—apparently in days—I was partially vertical. It felt good…relieving almost. My back seemed the stiffest and the muscles in my butt had to adjust to being in this kind of position again. All of it was much needed.

_Dnnngh._

The door swung open and in walked a sight-to-behold: Scott McCall's bright, wide-grinned face. "You have no idea…" he began as he walked over to me, his tongue losing his words.

"I have _some_ idea," I joked as he pulled me into his warm body. We stayed there for a moment, allowing my senses to refamiliarize themselves with him. When we finally broke, his face had changed a little, though; that brightness had dimmed a little and his expression was now a little sullen. "Hey, I'm okay now. You can't get rid of me that easily." He nodded and I pulled him in for a chaste kiss: _that_ was a sensation that needed no readjustment. He pulled my blanket down and looked over me, specifically at my burns, as if evaluating something. "We're not doing it now."

Scott reddened a little but smirked. "No, we're not," he agreed through a laugh. "I wanted to make sure you could walk."

"Walk?"

"Yeah, you know…with two legs. One foot in front of the other?"

"Scott…I _just_ woke up."

"Just for a few minutes. You need some fresh air."

"Scott, the doctor'll be in here any—"

"We'll be quick. Promise," he said, shooting me his trademark grin, unhooking the few monitors connected to my arm. I nodded and got to my feet, Scott pulling a pair of hospital slippers out from under the bed for me before wrapping his dark jacket around me. I slipped my arms through slowly and began to walk. I wasn't quite like a baby giraffe, but it certainly felt like I'd been made of wood for the last month or so. Scott wrapped his arm around me for support and nudged his head against mine, smiling as we walked through the doors.

"So…five days?" I asked as we waited for the elevator.

"Five days," he confirmed.

"How's Stiles?"

"A mess," he answered. "He's really losing it."

"You must have been fun to be around, what with Stiles and I out of commission."

"More or less. It helps you're awake now," he said, pulling me snugger into him.

 _Ding_.

We stepped into the elevator and he turned so we were front-to-front before nuzzling into my neck. My head fell back a little and my eyes closed as he just breathed against me, planting light kisses every so often, both his hands on my chest. "I was really worried you know?" I pulled him closer to me and rested my chin atop his head.

"Well you won't be getting rid of me anytime soon…you're stuck with me." I felt him smile against me and the elevator _dinged_ again. The door opened on the ground floor and we stepped out as others got on. We slowly walked to the front entrance, Scott ready every second in case my body gave out. "Did you find out anything more about the nogitsune?" He shook his head. "Have you considered that it might be Stiles?" He didn't motion either way, but his heart skipped a little. "Sorry…I know I just…"

"It's okay. Believe me, I've thought that, too…it's just…" But he couldn't finish his sentence—I guess whatever's been going on with Stiles has been harder on him than I thought.

"Don't worry about it. We can talk about something…else…"

The sight in front of the hospital…it was all wrong. There, to my left, was the crashed ambulance and next to it was Allison's parked car, her car door still open. That pool of water was still there and the frayed electrical cord was lying in it. But worst of all, there were bodies. Countless bodies lying in a sea of electricity. And some of them I knew: Allison, Derek, Lydia, the Sheriff, and even Stiles. But they weren't dead from the electricity. There were slash marks all over them. Their throats. Their backs and chests. Some even in their faces. The pool was tainted with blood, _their_ blood.

I stumbled backwards and tripped, falling but bracing myself on my hands. I looked up at Scott and I smelled _it_. "Pain, tragedy. Strife, chaos. It feels good, Isaac." He turned to face me and he smiled, his fanged teeth coated in silver. "It feels good to _kill_." He held up his silver-clawed hand and I saw that it was coated in blood.

"Sc-Scott…you're…"

"No, I'm not a werewolf anymore." He crouched down in front of me. "There _are_ no more werewolves, Isaac. Derek…Peter…I even made sure to tip off some hunters to find Cora…" I was frozen sitting there, his silver-glossed eyes looking down at me as I trembled, my body unwilling to do anything. "No Isaac, all the wolves are gone. Well, all of them except you." He flashed another fanged, evil smile at me and lifted his hand to strike—

I bolted upright and found myself staring wide-eyed at the door of my hospital room, my breathing and heartbeat pounding erratically. Everything about…it all felt so real. I forced myself to blink and I looked down to see Scott's sleeping head next to my thigh. I took in a deep breath and I could smell him clearly—he was still my alpha…he was still a werewolf. I collapsed back against my pillow and began to breathe more easily. ' _That was just a dream_ ' I kept telling myself. Yes, it was more real than anything I'd ever felt in a dream before, but it was still _just_ a dream.

I closed my eyes for a second but when I opened them again, I was staring up at the dark blue sky of the forest. Quickly, I propped myself up with my hands and I looked around. Derek told me this could happen—back when I first got _the bite_ —that I could end up wandering without even realizing it. But that was something that happened to untrained werewolves, and I wasn't convinced that this wasn't a dream.

I got to my feet and the place looked more than just a random place in the woods: I was at the nemeton, next to the remains of the old cellar to be precise. I looked around, forcing my eyes to shine yellow as I surveyed the area. There was nothing. It was quiet, almost eerily. I took a step closer to the large trunk. And then another, careful where I placed my feet and how hard.

But that didn't seem to stop the trigger.

A mild shockwave emitted from the nemeton and suddenly a seeming beam of light burst from its cracks. But it wasn't really a beam, it— _they_ were fireflies, and before my eyes they materialized into humanoidal forms. Into _oni_. They turned to me, rounding on me.

"I'm myself!" I yelled at them, stumbling backwards. I even showed them the back of my ear. But that didn't deter them and I panicked. They drew their swords out and I remembered that first night I'd seen them. I could feel the fear all over again. The cramping feeling of no way out. I tripped over the broken cellar door and landed on its hard surface, rolling onto the ground. I looked back and they were still approaching, ready to strike. I could feel everything, and despite my mind telling me that this was just a dream, too, every sensation felt real. Every emotion rang true. My senses weren't blind or inhibited in anyway. It was just my brain, crying out to me.

I got to my feet and tried to run but one of them emerged from the ground. I was cornered, trapped between the one in front of me and the four behind me. And then their positions shifted and they were all around me in a pentagonal formation. My claws slid out and I readied to fight my way out when I heard it. A roar that shook every branch around me, forcing every leaf and needle to tremble. It was a roar from an alpha, one that I feared more than even the _oni_ in that moment. This alpha was feral…completely lost in its primal rage. We all turned back towards the nemeton and there, in the distant trees, were a pair of glowing red eyes.

And they were getting brighter—coming closer.

But there, too, on the far side at the tree line, was a figure I recognized all too well. It was Scott, lying on the ground, the smell of blood reeking from his direction. I looked closely, a large gash stretched across his chest…like one from a sword. I reacted quickly, pushing the _oni_ before me to the ground and leaping over him, making my way to Scott as fast as I could. But the eyes, they'd arrived faster than I'd moved. It leapt out of the trees, knocking me to the ground as it passed to attack the _oni_.

I watched this monstrosity move in ways I never thought possible. Its speed. Its strength. Its _power_. They were mesmerizing in the most profound way, but to a degree that reinforced the fear its roar had struck within me. It dispelled the 'demons' with ease, tearing their limps and heads off with singular swipes, dodging the other's swings before it turned on them. Within seconds, it was the only thing left standing.

And it turned on me.

"I…Isaac…" I turned and saw Scott looking at me, blood seeping from his mouth and chest. "Run…"

I've never been that great in a fight—in fact, I've always been pretty horrible in them. Against Scott, against the kanima, against Allison, against the twins. It's just 'not my game.' But despite that knowledge, and despite my fear, my desire to protect Scott overrode them. I picked myself up off the ground and transformed, roaring at the man-beast across the clearing. Replying with the same terrifying sound as before, we met in the middle as we charged. Instead, however, I slipped between its legs and lifted one of the _oni's_ swords, brandishing it threateningly at the alpha.

It leaped forward and began to swipe, growling at me as I thrashed, remembering what the _yakuza_ said: 'the little-finger is the strongest.' Trying to mimic what I've seen in the past, I swiped just as fiercely, trying to force it on the defense. But it was too big, and it wouldn't take heed of the weapon. Instead, with one motion, it knocked it from my hands and, with only a few inches to spare, it swiped deathly at my chest. I moved and moved and found a second sword. This time, I threw it like a javelin and this time seemed to work.

The 'straight-sword' pierced its abdomen and it cried out in pain. I took the window and lifted a third sword, charging forward and jamming it through its throat. It worked. The alpha crumpled to the ground and began to choke, blood spewing from the wounds and its muzzle. I stepped up to it, towering over the beast, its gaze not once leaving mine. I looked back over to where Scott lay, ready to go to his aid to find that he wasn't there. There was no smell of blood from his direction and when I concentrated more, the earlier scent was right in front of me. I looked back down and the saw the beast quickly reverting. There, before me, was _my_ alpha.

I had killed Scott.

I stood there in horror, wide-eyed as I looked down at his dark face. My whole body was trembling, my lips, my eyes, everything. The boy I loved was dying, and there was nothing I could do to reverse that. I clambered to his side, ready to comfort him when he smirked at me in that same evil way I'd seen before—

My eyes shot open again. Scott hadn't moved from his position next me, his head still resting against my thigh. But I had changed. My heartbeat was pounding harder than it had before. My breathing had become painful in my chest. I willed myself to stay awake, not wanting to return to the nightmare realm I'd been in. I looked back down at the top of Scott's head and focused on his details. He could anchor me, this time in a different way. I reached out and touched him, his hair soft at the feel. Slowly, I began to breathe more easily and slowly, my attachment to Scott beginning to rouse my awareness.

I was sweating. And I was cold. I pulled the blanket over me some more, part of it stuck where Scott was rested. I reached forward again, trying to pry it loose when the force I applied was enough to knock him over. I almost laughed when I saw that he didn't get up. "Scott…?"

"I told you before," came a voice behind me, "there are no more werewolves, Isaac." Suddenly, a sword drove through me from the underside of the bed, piercing the center of my chest. Pain like I'd never experienced before stabbed at my every nerve. My breathing froze. My vision fuzzed for a moment, only sharpening when tears began to coat my eyes. "Your pain, Isaac," the voice continued, walking around to the front, its fingers dancing down my arm, "your pain is sweet. It's tied to another's, to the one you call 'alpha.' I stabbed him, too, Isaac, and he feared me just like you do. He feared losing you, just like you fear losing him. It eats at you, doesn't it, Isaac? It ate at him. It pained him, just like it pains you. I can end that pain, Isaac. I can end it…just like I ended it for him." I looked up at the shadowy source of the voice, willing myself to concentrate on the face before me. It was Stiles, a silver-fanged grin spread across his lips.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay guys...had some more block writing this one. I know I'm evil too for torturing 'the puppy.' Don't be mad. :-)


	19. Silver and Yellow

_"Your pain, Isaac," the voice continued, walking around to the front, its fingers dancing down my arm, "your pain is sweet. It's tied to another's, to the one you call 'alpha.' I stabbed him, too, Isaac, and he feared me just like you do. He feared losing you, just like you fear losing him. It eats at you, doesn't it, Isaac? It ate at him. It pained him, just like it pains you. I can end that pain, Isaac. I can end it…just like I ended it for him." I looked up at the shadowy source of the voice, willing myself to concentrate on the face before me. It was Stiles, a silver-fanged grin spread across his lips._

"You…you didn't," I said, struggling to keep myself awake, struggling to keep myself from blacking out from the pain.

"Didn't…what? Kill him? See for yourself, Isaac. He's been lying here for quite some time, a cold rotting corpse waiting for you to wake up."

"You're lying…"

"Am I? Are you sure, Isaac? Are you sure I didn't run that blade through his chest? Are you sure I didn't twist and turn it, so I could feed on the turmoil running through his veins? Are you sure I didn't end it when I was full, cutting out his heart and presenting it to gods of death? Are you sure Isaac?"

"I'm…I'm still dreaming…" I said through gritted teeth, the pain worsening, even more so as he leaned forward and wiggled the blade slightly.

"Are you now? And yet, if you were, you could easily just end this by letting go. Let the pain take over, Isaac," he cooed.

"I'm not…gonna' fall back…into your sick nightmares…"

"No, you'll do that when I'm good and ready for you to, Isaac. Because the physical pain you're experiencing now—as good as it tastes—it's nothing compared to what you've got coming." He began to walk around again when he stopped abruptly and slammed his palm against the dull side of the blade, forcing it to slice down in a curve. This time I couldn't hold on as my vision fuzzed once again. I felt it. I fought. I knew it was coming and I did all I could. But I lost…

When I opened my eyes—as if I had only blinked—I was staring at a familiar ceiling, but it wasn't the hospital's. It wasn't my room. It wasn't even Scott's room. It was the ceiling of my _old_ room. At the house I'd abandoned almost a year ago. I was in my bed, lying there on top of the comforter with my arms behind my head. The smell—it was as if things had never changed—and the heat, well my room was always hotter than the rest of the house. But I knew I was dreaming; it was so obvious. My family's dead…my _old_ family's dead…and this, this was another ploy by this foul creature to break me down.

Yet, the next thing I heard told me this wasn't going to be good. I heard _it_. I heard _his_ voice. That almost-raspy, degrading, eroding voice. "Isaac. Isaac! Get your ass down here!" I closed my eyes, willing to even return to the pain on the other side. I heard him coming, the stomping up the stairs. "Dammit, Isaac, you come when I call you," he said, his voice carrying louder and louder through my closed bedroom door. "Your brother is leaving right now, and you're gonna' show him some respect dammit." I opened my door right as he reached down for the knob.

"I-I'm sorry," I said, my heart pounding. "I was just getting dressed."

"It's eleven in the morning," he said disbelievingly.

"L-Late night…I've got a mid-term tomorrow."

He looked me over before nodding and walking down the hall towards the stairs. I silently followed him, every bone and nerve in my body wishing to see Camden's face one last time. To feel the strong grip of his shake. To feel the warmth of his body as he pulled me into a noogie—contrasted to the corpse we saw at the viewing. I almost danced down the stairs, skipping a few to rush outside to see him. But the sight I saw…it was even more than I'd hoped for. There, standing next to a Humvee, was Camden, hugging my mother's tiny form.

I should have known not to fall for this. I should have known to just stay in my room and hide in my closet like I always did. I should have just fought him off with my superhuman strength and ended this nightmare before it could even begin. But no, the _nogitsune_ won. I took a step forward and I heard a tiny _click_ right before the vehicle exploded, encasing the two I miss most in a wall of fire and shrapnel. I didn't even flinch, still hoping to catch a glimpse of either of their faces, both of them having stood profile to me, their heads turned and twisted just so. Not once did I blink and my eyes swelled; that mountain of hope that I felt was carved out of me in an instant, and the void-fox stepped up next to me in the form of my father. He looked over at me, his silver-fanged smile smirking at me.

"You should've come when I—" I didn't let him finish as I stabbed my clawed straightened hand into his throat, my fangs protruding, my breath heavy, my eyes burning as tears leaked from them. He seemed genuinely stunned for a minute, but he only grabbed my forearm and his own claws tore into my flesh. The pain, it all still felt so real. "Your resilience is noble," he simply said, twisting and tearing, forcing me to crumble towards the ground. "But you're so easy to fool, Isaac. It's almost too easy. It takes the fun out of the game."

I blinked once and I was back in the hospital room. He was no longer holding onto me, either, but instead, he was sitting in a chair, back to his 'original' form as Stiles. I straightened up, glaring at him as he blocked my exit—one I presumed was my metaphorical exit back to consciousness. He smiled up at me, clearly able to read my thoughts—I shouldn't have been surprised given the mental nature of it all.

"Why are you doing this? What do you want?" I challenged, flipping out both sets of claws.

"I want to bring chaos once again," he said, the shit-eating smirk immediately sending an irksome chill throughout my body.

"Again?"

"Do you like riddles, Isaac?"

I paused, my face furrowing. "What?"

"Do. You. Like. Riddles?"

"No…not really."

"Too bad. Stiles…he seems to enjoy them, more than he let on. The kid's bright, I must admit. Frustratingly erratic, but bright. I wish he'd figured out my first riddle, though. Instead, it was your alpha that did. Took me off guard, for sure. You could do better, Isaac; you're certainly brighter than you let on." He paused but his grin widened. "Let's play a game, Isaac: answer my three riddles, and I might consider letting you wake up."

I looked around the room, then back at him, and finally to the door. I let my claws return to normal, knowing that this could be my only way out. "Three," I said, and he nodded.

"When is a door not a door?"

"When it's ajar," I answered, recalling what Scott had told me.

"I move slowly but I'm dead. I leave and then I'm back. I'm clear and then I'm red. What am I?" I froze, willing my tortured brain to calm, center, and focus; two more answers and I could be free. "I'll give you a hint—"

"No," I panicked. "No…no hints." He nodded but brought his hand up to his face, chewing at his fingernail with his silver fangs. "A fingernail," I answered and once again he smirked at me.

"Don't fret, Isaac, it won't count against you." I eyed him, my cynicism at its height. "Last one: He who makes it, sells it. He who buys it, doesn't use it. He who uses it, doesn't know it. What is it?" I knew the answer to this one; Camden told it to me when I was eight. I lied before. I don't dislike riddles…I hate them. This was the only riddle Camden ever told me, and now he's lying in the ground in the answer to this fucked-up game. "What is it, Isaac?"

I found myself staring off into the corner to his right. I double-blinked and looked back at him, ready to face whatever came next. "A coffin," I answered, eliciting the widest grin I'd seen on him yet. He got up and pulled the chair into the very corner I was staring. He pushed up opened the door and held it there.

"I'm feeling generous," he said. I eyed him skeptically, carefully walking forward. "Really, Isaac, it's time to rejoin your pack of wolves," he said, even stepping out into the hallway to keep the door open. I walked out into the hallway, not once taking my eyes off him. There was no one else around, not even in the other rooms. I walked backwards and sideways towards the elevator door, jamming at the down button. "Oh, and Isaac, be sure to hit the 'G' button, and not the 'M.'" The elevator _dinged_ and he grinned one last time at me before I slipped in, my finger jamming now at the button for the ground floor. I watched him as the doors closed and saw as he disappeared in a puff of dark smoke.

The elevator began to descend slowly, my heart pounding once again, my fingers fidgeting against the railing along the inside of the lift. I leaned my head back and closed my eyes while taking in a deep breath. _Bzzzwbzzzw._ The light overhead flickered, its fluorescent tube threatening to go out. _Bzzzwbzzzw_. I opened my eyes and even hoped that Scott would come crashing in to save me like he did a couple months ago.

The elevator suddenly stopped right before the ground floor and the lights went out. _Bzzzwbzzzw_. "Why're they still…" They suddenly flicked on as a bright yellow color and I saw I was no longer in the elevator—I wasn't even vertical. I tried to prop myself up and look but two sets of hands came and held me down. There, hovering above me, were the faces of two people I thought about a lot: Boyd and Erica.

"You want revenge for us, don't you baby?" Erica said through her fanged mouth, her eyes glowing blue.

"Erica, it's time to bury him," Boyd said, transformed in the same way, his eyes glowing blue. I looked down and realized I wasn't just lying down…I was in a wooden container. I was in a coffin.

"Wait…" I began.

"Hold these, will you?" Erica said, dumping a mound of chains on top of me before they both closed the lid over me. "

"No, no, no, no." I tried to push on the lid. "C'mon, c'mon." I began banging on it, like all those times my father locked me in the freezer. "C'mon! Stooooop!—"

I blinked and when my eyes opened, they seared yellow for only a moment. I was still in the coffin, but my body, it was in a different hospital room than the one I’d been in all this time. It was if I was looking down a long black tunnel and I was privy to everything that ‘I was doing.’ My body seemed to move on its own, unplugging the wires and cords in my body as it slipped out onto the cold tile floor. I wasn’t in control anymore.


	20. Void of Fault

_I wasn't in control anymore_.

I wasn't in control when I dressed myself and left the hospital room.

I wasn't in control when I set off down the dark street towards the Argents, knowing full well I should be heading home to Scott.

I wasn't in control when I snuck into the Argents' apartment and lurked into Allison's room.

And I sure as hell wasn't in control when she finally got home and I kissed her.

"Isaac, what're you—"

"Shh," my lips released, my body placing a finger on her lips, its eyes still closed from the kiss.

"Isaac…" Allison said, more worried now. "Scott?"

"I've had time to figure out my priorities." I banged against the lid of the coffin above me, damning those words.

"Isaac, you've been aslee—"

"You know what they say about coma patients…they can sometimes hear you. I was aware of everything. I could hear still…I heard when you and Scott came to visit me."

"Then you know how much he—"

"Allison," my lips said slowly, my eyes opening, looking tempting at her. "I don't want him…I want _you_ …" My body leaned and tried to kiss her again when she stopped it.

"Sleep on it…I'm not convinced all the drugs in your system are out."

My head nodded and she pointed to the top of the bed before walking into her bathroom and closing the door.

— Ʌ | Ʌ | Ʌ —

I tried to sleep. I really did. But my body…my 'mind'…it was relentless. There was noise…a buzzing. It was the sound of the fluorescent tubes from before, only this time they were louder, almost as if they were inside my head. My body stirred next to Allison, clad now only a white wife beater and my jeans. Eventually…sometime near dawn…it got up and shackled Allison's ankles to the frame at the foot of her bed. I pounded even harder this time…pounding, kicking, and screaming. But I was trapped, and the _bzzzw_ noise only got louder…

— Ʌ | Ʌ | Ʌ —

I knew my eyes wouldn't turn blue. I knew wasn't about to take the life of an innocent. And I even knew, deep down, that part of my actual mind wanted this. But that wasn't what I really feared. I feared living with myself after this. I feared knowing that I was helpless to stop this, being stuck as only a witness, a bystander while my own body took a life. I feared what Scott would say. What he'd think. He'd forgiven a lot over the past year, the most egregious probably when I attacked Allison in the supply closet a month or so ago. But this… _this_ was different. Burning the twins alive…there was no forgiveness here.

— _Ʌ | S | Ʌ —_

He found me again.

I was lost in him.

Close to him.

I want him.

I wanted him to get lost in me.

And with his lips on mine…I knew he was.

"Why are we in the bathroom?" I said as he pressed me closer against the door, the lights off, the only dim shine coming from under the door.

"We're hiding," Isaac said, smiling against my lips before kissing me again.

"From who, my mom?"

"Don't worry about it."

"She knows we're together, remember?"

"I know, but your father's downstairs," he said, placing two of his fingers against my lips. I smirked and he replaced them with his lips. I tilted my head up more and met his fervor with an energy of my own…when a slight electric surge buzzed through my body as quick as a heartbeat.

"Hold on. Isaac, you're still in the hospital."

"What do you mean? I'm right here," he said, pulling on me so he closed in tighter, trying to steal another kiss.

"No, you're still at Beacon Memorial. You were attacked." I flicked on the light and looked into his eyes, the black burns still on his face. "This is a trick. It's a trick."

" _Lydiaaaaaa!..."_

I felt a tickle under my nose, checking and seeing the blood on my fingers. The bathroom shook like an earthquake and Isaac's yellow eyes burned yellow, his fangs becoming visible as his mouth opened to attack. I turned the knob behind me and tripped out into an all too familiar white room. And there, standing yards from me, was Lydia.

— Ʌ | Ʌ | Ʌ —

Like every fight I've been in, they all rushed by so quickly. Claws. Fangs. Arrows. This time even a blade was involved. There's always blood drawn and pain and grimacing. But this fight, this fight I was merely watching a TV screen, first as I watched Ethan and Aiden jump me and then to have Kira and Allison join in against us. And despite being the werewolf, I worried for myself during this fight.

But when I collapsed to the hard concrete floor, the twins doing just the same, it wasn't the fight that worried me anymore. It was what Boyd and Erica were going to do next. I could see them, as the only thing in my vision was still the square black tunnel to reality. But I could hear them. I could hear their movements. I could hear their growls and soon their taunts and threats. I closed my eyes and breathed, willing them to return back to bottom of my mind. I wanted to forget their loss. I wanted to force the vengeance that had seeped into me out like a poison.

But then someone opened the lid…someone that wasn't my late packmates. I opened my eyes and I was back. The tunnel was gone and my eyes were my own again, staring at the concerned face of Dr. Deaton. I was wet…cold-wet from the shower head that had just been on, coughing from the fingers and fly that had been jammed in my throat. I listened to them, somewhat arguing about Lydia. She was missing…kidnapped more like. But now there were two of them…two Stiles. How? How are there werewolves…?

"Hold on…how are you so sure which Stiles is which?" Kira asked.

"That's what they're trying to figure out now," Deaton answered.

"I'm gonna' go look for Lydia," Aiden said.

"She could be anywhere," Ethan replied, clearly apprehensive.

"I wouldn't recommend that," Deaton said. "We don't know to what extent you've been affected."

"I don't care," Aiden said, straightening out before turning to his brother and motioning for him to follow. They made their leave from the locker room and Allison and I exchanged a look.

"I should take you home," she said.

"Allow me, Allison," Deaton said forwardly. "I need to speak with Melissa and Scott." I nodded and the four of us made our way out to the parking lot, Allison and Kira breaking off to head towards her car and Deaton and I heading to his.

— Ʌ | Ʌ | Ʌ —

Tight arms wrapped around me as soon as I stepped through the door frame, Melissa McCall's motherly embrace one of the most welcoming sensations I could have asked for. It was warm. It was comforting. It was _home_.

"Is Scott in?" Deaton asked from behind me.

Melissa shook my head and my stomach flipped a little; my ache to see him was kicking into overdrive. "I'm just gonna' go upstairs," I said and Melissa cupped my cheeks before pulling me down and kissing my forehead. I slowly sauntered up the stairs and breathed in: the smells emanating from the familiar place somehow spoke to me truthfully. I was out of the nightmare realm the _nogitsune_ had placed me in. I was free and back in the one place I called sanctuary…free from hell and safe from the world.

I slipped into my room to change, finding my key and kissing it before slipping its chain over my head. It connected me to Scott when he wasn't there, and his room even more so after I stepped inside it. I breathed in again, finding his strong scent greeting me at the door. But there was also a hint of Kira, too, on the bed. I stripped the comforter and scented the sheets atop...nothing but my alpha. I fell atop it, curling beneath the sheets after pulling them over me and basked in the feeling of my alpha surrounding me like a heavy fire.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So here we are...finally. School's been a little dominating but good news: the chapter for Insatiable/3x23 will be up tomorrow in advance of the finale...an hour before its start at the latest. I'll have more to say then but I just wanted to thank my loyal readers now and, whatever happens during the finale, I'm glad to have gotten this far in this project.


	21. Greedy For His Touch

I didn't fall asleep for long; in fact, for the short time I was asleep I was only half-way there. I supposed that as much wear that yesterday gave me—fighting the twins and the girls—my time in a coma forced me to stay awake, either through the physical nature of it or subconsciously out of fear and the pure desire to be awake. The most annoying of it all was that one of Scott's pillows… _my_ pillow on his bed…smelled like Stiles. But it was an odd smell of Stiles, one shrouded in a sickly, almost deathly veil. It didn't bother me enough, though, as I fell asleep after noting the smell. And the room, being Scott's helped cover it up enough and provide enough distraction.

It was probably four in the morning when I heard the front door open. There were hushed voices and in my light sleep I didn't think about honing on who they were or what they were saying—I caught the words 'couch' and 'blanket' but that was all. Steps up the stairs soon followed, annunciated by a creak in the wood here and there. And then the door opened and I could feel the looming tension of being stared at…even in my sleep. The person stood there for a moment or two before walking over to the bed, lightly climbing in and curling around me. Instantly, my nose filled with Scott's direct scent, his arm falling over my frame. He pressed his cold nose against the back of my neck and breathed in.

"You have no idea…" he whispered, and his breath tickling the fuzz on my neck was enough to pull me out completely. I twisted beneath the sheet, turning to face him. "Did I wake you?"

"Not really," I said, opening my eyes to look at him—the real him.

"What're you doing here?"

"It doesn't matter…I'm home."

He smiled and I closed my eyes as I felt his lips press tenderly against mine. "I have to go back downstairs. I promised not to let Stiles out of my sight." My heart sank a little when he caressed my cheek. "Come with me?" Instantly a smile of my own tugged at my lips and I nodded.

"By the way," I added as I sat up and he made to change, "I have plenty idea."

— Ʌ | Ʌ | Ʌ —

"I should help Allison look for Lydia," I said, sitting at the kitchen table with my back to Stiles, Scott on the opposite side so he could watch. We both had plates of food Melissa cooked for us before she left for the hospital but we both too preoccupied leaning across the table to connect our four hands together.

"You don't have to," Scott offered.

"I want to," I said. "I want to feel productive…I've been lying in a hospital bed for days being completely useless. And I know what _he's_ like; I don't want Lydia to have to spend another moment with that psychopath." Scott nodded but still looked uneasy. "I'll be fine, Scott, I promised. If we find anything, we'll be safe and cautious." He nodded but squeezed a little at the back of my hand.

"I just don't want you to get hurt. I just got you back, and I'm already bummed that you're heading off and leaving me again."

I blushed, looking down nervously and grinning. "You said that to me once before…"

I glanced up and saw that he, too, was blushing now. "I meant it. I mean, I obviously didn't mean it as much as I do now, but I meant it."

"I'm glad you mean it more now," I said, pushing up to lean further across to steal a kiss when my phone _buzzed_. I looked down and read it.

_::Be there in 5::_

— Ʌ | Ʌ | Ʌ —

"That's it…that's Lydia's car," Allison said as I snapped the lock on the fence door blocking us.

"The scent's strong of emotion," I said, taking in the strawberry-blonde's smell and dissecting its various pieces.

"Fear?"

"Anger."

"Sounds like Lydia. Let's see what else we can find," she said as we began to— _cautiously_ —examine her blue car; I even got down onto my stomach to check for any possible traps underneath. "Ah, just…just out of curiosity, do you remember the other night?"

"You mean the night before last?" I said, slowly getting to my feet after concluding there was nothing there.

"That night before you weren't you."

"Yeah, I remember," I said, the pair of us getting into the car.

"So that night, were you you, or were you not you?"

"You mean, the night when we were _us_?"

"Yeah, I just wanna' know if…if it was actually you."

"Did you want it to be?"

"Yes…no…I mean…"

"Allison, it's alright." I looked out the window. "I do remember it. Really remember it. But no, it wasn't me. Not really."

"Scott?"

"Yeah…"

"Have you told him?"

"That I kissed you while being possessed by a fly?" She nodded. "No. I haven't told him. When this is all over." She nodded but frowned. "I'm sorry, Allison."

She looked into my eyes and smiled, none of it forced. But then her face furrowed. "Wait…Scott…" she thought aloud. She turned towards the window next to her and breathed hard against it, revealed three simple words: 'Don't Find Me.'

— Ʌ | Ʌ | Ʌ —

"Scott!" I yelled into the house as I stepped through the back screen door on the covered porch. "Scott?"

"He's not here," came the familiar voice of his father as he stepped out from the kitchen.

"Uh…"

"He was gone when I got here."

I pulled out my phone and tapped a text out to him. _::found her car…where r u::_

"We've never really had a chance to talk, Isaac," Mr. McCall said, gesturing to the kitchen chairs with his eyes; the silent authority reminded me a little of my father a littler. I took a seat in Scott's chair from earlier while he stood there, hovering almost threateningly.

_::Following up a lead…be home soon::_

"I've been trying to figure you out," he began. "Scott, with the few conversations I've had with him, he seems to be protective of you. And Melissa…I'd say she thinks of you like a second son. What I wanna' know is why?"

"Why?"

"I've read your father's file, Isaac. I know how he died, that you were a suspect. And based on your neighbor's statement, I see why you were a suspect."

"Are you accusing me—"

"No, I'm not. And I know this statement was retracted; what I'm wondering is how you've managed to keep it all together enough to make Scott and Melissa think the world of you?"

I didn't answer him at first, and in fact I almost decided to get up and leave when that familiar stifling fear crept back into my body—it'd been truly gone since I left Derek. "You don't have to disguise your real question," I replied, and regretted it as soon as I had.

But he only smirked and took a sip of whatever he'd been drinking. "I just want to know that they're going to be safe with you living here."

I thought back to the hug _mom_ gave me when I got home last night. I thought back to the almost normal, loving morning Scott and I had only a few hours ago. I thought back to my birthday dinner last month and the calm, honest evening Scott and I had thereafter. And when I was done, I realized I hadn't answered him and a bizarre smile had crept onto my face. I looked up at him. "Honestly, I've never felt more at home here. Melissa…she reminds me a lot of my mom. And Scott…well he's Scott. I wouldn't trade this for the world."

He smiled at me, almost reassuring me when the back door opened. "What're you doing here?" Scott asked, looking at his father.

"I could ask you the same thing," Mr. McCall replied.

"Free period," Stiles replied, looking paler than normal. "We're doing study group."

"Who's she," the tall FBI Agent asked, looking at the mystery girl in grey; I was wondering the same thing.

"She's my girlfriend," Stiles replied awkwardly, and I could only smirk at the obvious lie, even to Scott's clueless father.

"You're not my type," she responded as Stiles wrapped his arm around her.

"Well, obviously we have a lot to talk about," Stiles pushed the façade.

"We should maybe take this upstairs," Scott offered.

"He's my type," the girl answered, forcing my boyfriend and I to exchange a stunned look.

"Okay, Isaac, you can come, too," Stiles said.

"Uh…" I mildly groaned, but followed when Scott nodded and shrugged.

— Ʌ | Ʌ | Ʌ —

"It's perfect," Allison croaked. "I'm in the arms of my first love. The first person I ever loved. The person I'll always love. I love you…Scott…Scott McCall."

"Don't, please, don't," Scott pleaded. "Allison, don't, please…"

I could only lay there, unable to move. Unable to accept. Unable to help. Her. Him. _Anyone_ …

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, less than an hour my friend. I hope to all hopes Isaac survives this night. Not for this project, not for the ship, but simply because he's such a joy to watch on screen. Daniel Sharman is an amazing actor and Isaac Lahey has so much potential for the future as Scott's most trusted second/brother/etc. I want him to stick around! For anyone whose interested, I have two posts about why I think Isaac will/should stick around on tumblr. You'll have to search my screenname-the same-because they're not posting to tags but they should be easy to find. GOOD LUCK ISAAC! By the way, live or die, there'll be two more chapters for definite so stay tuned.


	22. Check Mate

I couldn't get the picture out of my head. How she lay there fallen in his arms. How only seconds earlier she'd been the one defending me. She'd been the one protecting me. She'd spared my life, only to sacrifice her own to do so. And then suddenly, she was gone. It happened so fast. It moved like death. And oh god, the blood spatter. It was stained on my mind, still carmine, not once turned to that deadened brown.

"Can you remember anything else?" It was a question…to me I think. The young deputy in front of me, he was…Argent told us what to say. How to react. It was for this moment I think. "Anything else? Isaac?"

"I'm sorry…" came words finally. I felt sensation on my back, reminding me that I wasn't alone in the hallway…Lydia and the sheriff were there, too. And Scott…god Scott…the pain on his face, the anguish. I was supposed to…he asked me to… _Allison_ … "It just happened so fast." I felt the sheriff's hand withdraw and she was gone all over again. "It's my fault," I said, and I could feel Scott's burning red eyes on me. "Scott it's my fault…I…I'm sorry. God, I'm so sorry."

I was on my feet, rushing out. I pushed through the door and the cold air was a dagger driving into my already pounding skull. "Isaac, wait!" I heard from that boy's mouth. But I couldn't. I'd failed. Her. Him. _Everyone_.

— Ʌ | Ʌ | Ʌ —

When I finally realized where I was I was standing in front of Argent's apartment door. I didn't wanna' knock and I almost turned around when the front door opened. Argent looked as if he was about to walk out but stopped immediately upon seeing me. "I…Isaac…" he only said at first. We both just stood there for a moment, neither of us really knowing where to begin before he stepped to the side and my legs carried me in.

"I appreciate the concern, but you don't have to check up on me," he said, my eyes unable to look into his. "I'll…I'll be alright…I've dealt with this before…" I leaned…fell against the door and he turned around to look at me. "I have…I have a capacity and…an ability to compartmentalize my emotions.

I looked up at him at that. "I don't…" he said through a sob. We exchanged a knowing look before he pulled me into an embrace, one I didn't deserve, from him most of all. "I…I should have been stronger…she was protecting me and I…it's my fault."

He pulled back, arms straight and looked me straight in the eyes. "There's only one person to blame, and it isn't you."

— Ʌ | Ʌ | Ʌ —

For once, I actually felt for him. For once, I actually looked at one of the twins and felt as though I could relate. In my eyes, they finally became _human_. I watched as Ethan actually became intense for a moment when they tried to peel him off his twin's body, even becoming borderline violent. But of course, it was Scott who got him to ease down, even a simple touch to his shoulder calming him half of the way. Argent eventually returned with a body bag, Lydia and Ethan conjoining to console each other now, especially when Argent zipped over the final foot. They lifted him into the back of Argent's SUV and I finally felt a weight fall on me: that had been Erica. And Boyd. That had been Allison, almost still warm in the ground. That could have been any of us. Lydia. Me. _Scott_ …

Scott bumped into me, having backed up disbelievingly after helping lift Aiden. His hand brushed against mine and I could feel the devastation coursing through him. Thinking back, I could even smell it before then—maybe when we first walked out of the school. I switched to holding the triskele box with one arm and laced my fingers with Scott's. I felt his body lean into me a little as we watched Derek, Ethan, and Argent drive off. Kira looked between us—including Lydia and Stiles—and looked stricken herself, despite little to no interaction with the twins. I looked over at the druid-in-training, Lydia still tightly wrapped into him. "I should get her home," Stiles said after spotting my gaze, looking at Scott and clearly knowing that he was far more affected by tonight's events than I was. I tightened my grip on Scott's hand and he nodded, the five of us making our way back to the jeep.

Stiles, whose eyes were slowly losing their deadened red under-color, helped Lydia into the front before walking around to the driver's seat. Scott scooted into the middle, leaning up against me and laying his head against my shoulder while Kira took his farther side. He took my hand this time and I swear, if I hadn't known better, I could have sworn he'd fallen asleep at some point during the ride and stop of dropping off Kira.

"Scott," I started as we stopped in front of our house, shaking his thigh a little.

"I know," he replied immediately, nuzzling into my shirt for a moment before sighing and sitting up straight. "Take care of Lydia, dude; we'll talk tomorrow?" Stiles nodded and Scott leaned forward and placed his hand on the driver's shoulder. "I'm glad you're alright."

"Me, too," Stiles replied and I moved to get out, looking back once I was on my feet and seeing Scott looking warily, almost pitifully at the devastated Lydia.

"C'mon," I said, tugging on his jacket. He exchanged a brief look with Stiles before slipping out of the back seat of the jeep. Stiles nodded at us both before driving away, presumably towards Lydia's house. I moved to get inside the house as quickly as possible, eager to get up into my own room, into my own bed when he stopped me, the sensation of my shirt pulling tauter against my neck.

"Sit," he said, pointing to the front porch step beneath my foot.

"You don't wanna' just go in?"

"No, I…just for a minute. Please." I nodded and we took our seats on the front stoop. "Are you okay?"

It was such a simple question, yet, unexpected. It shouldn't have been, from my boyfriend, from _Scott_. But it was. "I…yeah? Are you?"

"Last night…err, this morning…I…"

"Scott, let's just do this tomorrow. I'm already beating myself up enough—"

"No, Isaac," he started, pulling me closer into him, making it so our faces were separated only by a foot. "You, god you make me crazy. None of it's your fault," he said and pulled me into a kiss. "You don't have anything to be sorry about. What happened last night with Al—with Allison…it happened. It happened…" I rested my forehead against his and he forced a weak smile, shaking his head a little. "I love you, Isaac, and that means that no matter what you think I'm thinking, wrong or right, I love you. Period." I must have looked stunned because it was only when his lips fell into mine that I realized my lips and mouth were extremely dry and my eyes burned from not blinking. His arm wrapped around me and I felt my own doing the same, his pulling me closer into him. "Okay…?" he finally said, still resting our foreheads together. I nodded, not daring to pop a peek before I felt that tender skin on my own again. He pulled back finally and we just sat there, gazing out into the cool sky, not really sure where to go or what to do next. We just knew that we were making it out of this…together.

— Ʌ | Ʌ | Ʌ —

I wasn't there when they buried my dad. To be fair, I didn't want to be. Camden, well he was buried out east in Arlington Cemetery. Dad couldn't afford to fly mom _and_ me out for the funeral. And mom, well burying mom will probably be the hardest thing I've ever had to do…well, there's Scott and given recent events…

Chris wouldn't let us attend Allison's funeral. It wasn't selfish…he actually told us he was trying to protect us. I think he still believes it. But to be fair, he was the only one there. But he did ask something of me: the _nogitsune_. I still had it, that cylindrical rowan box that I'd been keeping in Melissa's old chest at the end of my bed for the last 16 hours. Chris wanted me to bury it with him, next to Allison. I don't know if he believed her hunter's spirit would watch over it, or if it was some attempt to force it to bring her back, or if there was any significance to it at all, but he wanted me there. It was the closest I got to saying goodbye to her.

When I got home, my heart twisted behind my bones. Melissa was sitting on the catch, her sad eyes not greeting me as I walked through the door in favor of passing over Scott's brown locks in her lap. He was curled up in on himself, his head in her lap, her hand stroking the side of his head near his ear. He looked asleep, but his unsteady heartbeats and berm lines where his tears had dried told me otherwise. I just stared for a minute, lost in the face that I'd seen so many times in the mirror. Allison was Camden. She was my mom. She was Erica. And Boyd. And right now, Scott was me, in all those moments I had to tell myself to pick up and keep going.

"Is he…awake?" I began, still not moving.

"Only barely," she said, looking up at me endearingly. "He's restless. You wanna' take him?" I hesitated, but nodded, leaning forward off the wall. She lightly patted Scott's hair on top and he pushed himself up. For a minute, he only had the sleepy look, until thoughts must have crept back in. He looked at his mom and she stroked his cheek before he stood, our eyes meeting. His eyes, the red glaze over the whites…I walked over and took his hand before tugging for him to follow me up the stairs.

When we walked into my room, I closed the door and dragged him onto the bed. We kicked off our shoes and slipped on the covers, at my lead, and I wrapped myself around him, pulling him tight. It was only eleven in the morning and I already felt drained, but I knew, in that moment, that I needed to be there for Scott (whether that meant he needed to fall asleep in my arms or talk or however he needed me).

"Just let go, Scott," I said, feeling his body so tense in my embrace. "Just breathe, and let me take over." And he did, his body relaxing beside me. He took in a deep breath, held it, and released it, the air tickling the hair on my arms.

"Isaac?" came his croaked voice.

"Hmm?"

"I…can you stay with me?"

"Always."

He snuggled further into me and the words that followed made my heart stop. "I felt her," he said almost emotionlessly. "I felt her die." And then I understood why: he was trying to prevent himself from tethering apart, or maybe he just out of any emotion left. I kissed the back of his neck and breathed him in, ready to whisper words of comfort when he continued. "Isaac, I don't ever want to fee that with you. I'd give up my spark before I let that happens."

"Scott—"

"I almost did, you know. When you were unconscious. I love you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's finally here! To all my readers, I apologize...the news of Daniel leaving the show after all that chaos kinda' sent me through a ringer for writing this but after a much needed break this is back. Bad news: this is the second to last chapter. I've been debating about doing a Season 4 interpretation/continuation, but it's a rather large undertaking and I have so many things I wanna' write both Teen Wolf related as well as original pieces so, if I do, it'll be in 2015 at the earliest (I'm also trying to write my first novel which doesn't help). So, last thing, stay tuned on Moonday Monday the 22 for the epilogue-same time as Teen Wolf would air live; it'll be up then!


	23. Epilogue

Scott awoke first. It was the smell of Melissa's spicy Italian meatballs that drove his eyes to open and when they did they landed on the outer wall of Isaac's bedroom. It was rather close to his face, Isaac's bed only a single, so he tried to turn and found Isaac's heavy arm keeping him firmly tucked against him. Scott smiled lightly at the sentiment, subconsciously trying to let the moment fill him up with the positive emotions surrounding it in hopes that it would replace that morning's recurring devastation at the loss of Allison. "Isaac?" he said softly.

"Hmm?" the taller boy mumbled, clearly half-asleep. He somewhat stirred, his hand resting on Scott's chest lightly rubbing down Scott's less-saturated red V-neck-clad chest and then back up against, accidentally slipping underneath to caress his boyfriend's bare skin. Scott hummed at the touch and grabbed Isaac's hand over his shirt, squeezing it affectionately. Isaac let out a snort to clear his nose before tugging his alpha closer to his chest. "How you feeling?"

"Hungry," Scott answered, side-stepping the real intent of the question.

Isaac took one sniff and smirked. "Mmm, yeah I could go for that."

"They're the best," Scott confirmed as the blonde wrapped his leg over Scott's thigh, pressing them closer together in _areas_. "I was kinda' hoping to go get some," he pushed teasingly.

"We will," the blonde said as he ran his flattened hand firmly down Scott's torso, stopping just above his waistline. He planted a light kiss in the back of the brunette's hair, threatening to dip underneath the band when he pulled away altogether and took off, flinging the door open.

"You're such a tease!" Scott yelled with a grin, rolling and hopping onto his feet to chase after Isaac when he heard a _thunk_ and a small crash. Panic sunk into his shoulders and Scot hurried quicker to the top of the stairs. With no beta in sight he yelled out, "You okay?"

"Yeah!" Isaac answered immediately. Scott walked down the steps sans-panic and looked over towards the kitchen to see Isaac fallen over o his ass next to a fully suited Rafael McCall, also on the floor.

"Scott," the man said albeit irritably, acknowledging his son's presence.

"What're you doing here?" he replied, first helping up Isaac before turning to help up his father.

"Checking on your mom. Staying for dinner. If that's alright?"

Scott looked from his dad, to Isaac, to the kitchen, and back to his dad. He nodded and Rafael only eyed Isaac as he went to sit at the kitchen table, hoping his son would follow to chat before setting up for dinner.

— Ʌ | Ʌ | Ʌ —

"Thank you for dinner," Isaac said as Melissa stood before him next to the front door.

"You don't have to thank me for every meal, Isaac," she said encouragingly. "You're part of the family."

"Even more a reason to thank you when you cook," Isaac replied. He looked up the stairs, helmet tucked under his arm and a jacket clad around his torso.

"You boys be careful. It'll get dark soon." Isaac nodded and peered over her shoulder and, after seeing Mr. McCall was turned to the side and putting dried dishes away in the cabinet, he flashed his yellow eyes at her with a grin. "Still," she said after jumping slightly, smacking his arm, eliciting a wider grin. Scott came down after a moment, he too clad in garb that would be suitable for their evening, late-autumn ride.

"We'll be back," the alpha said before kissing him mom's cheek and she in turn hugged them both. The couple walked out to the bike parked out front and they took off towards Allison's grave. It wasn't too far a drive to the reserve, a more secluded place that, unless someone was intentionally looking for it, would incredibly unlikely be discovered.

"Are you sure you wanna' do this? So soon I mean?" Isaac asked, the pair walking through the forest with their hands intertwined, the space completely open and freeing. Scott only squeezed the warm appendage and Isaac could see the pain in Scott's face struggling to break free. So Isaac changed the subject…kind of. "Something weird happened."

"Hmm?"

"Argent…Chris…he, uh, well we talked on the way back this morning." Scott only looked at him, curious as the statement seemed rather obvious. "He's leaving for France tomorrow. Said he needs some time." Scott looked forward again, understand completely; if Isaac weren't there with him, the part of him that wanted to take flight would be exponentially stronger. "But he said something else. I…well I'm not sure I could've ever fathomed this. He, uh, when he gets back he…he wants to train me." Scott's eyebrow went up. "Like a hunter."

"That's…yeah, that's new," Scott admitted.

Isaac just shrugged and smirked. "Maybe I'll be able to kick your ass when I'm finished."

"Derek's been working with me," Scott pointed out, "so probably not," he finished with a wink and a grin. Isaac bumped his hip into Scott playfully, returning the smile. "Ethan sent me a text while we were asleep."

"Change his mind?"

Scott shook his head. "Danny knows apparently."

"Didn't see that one either."

Scott shook his head in agreement.

"Hey, before we get there, I just wanna' say things are gonna' be different from now on," Isaac admitted. Again Scott looked at him expectantly, the pause in his boyfriend's thoughts and words peeking his curiosity too much. "With what happened, to _both_ of them actually, I'm gonna' make an effort with Stiles. I owe you that much."

"Isaac, you don't owe—"

"He's your best friend so I owe it you. I'm gonna' try harder, even though I know he's a stubborn eccentric little sh—"

"Hem," Scott interrupted, smirking. "He's pack, that's all that matters."

Isaac breathed out. "Yes, fine, he's pack." And then he stopped them.

"Isaac?"

"I think…yeah, we're going the wrong way," he admitted with a grin. Scott laughed at him and shook his head, following Isaac wherever he was leading them now.

— Ʌ | Ʌ | Ʌ —

When they got home it was definitely dark, as in just after ten dark. Scott had needed his time, and even on the way home Isaac could feel some of the breathing contortions in his boyfriend's chest. But when they actually dismounted the bike, the alpha seemed better. Better enough to grab Isaac's hand, kiss it, and lead the taller boy into the house by that hand. The only light left on was in the kitchen over the sink, but when they looked closer they saw the light out back was on as well and there sat Scott's parents. Talking. _Reacquainting_?

The boys exchanged a look before racing upstairs and hopping excitedly into Scott's room, closing the door behind them. Yes, it was dangerous. Yes, _both_ of Scott's parents were just downstairs. So they'd have to be quiet. Use their werewolf enhanced hearing to find out when they came back in. Or, at last minute, up the stairs. So Scott, with that in mind, didn't waste time in divulging them both of their shirts and linking their lips and tongues together.

They fell to the bed and for a while, under the heat and lust and the passion and the excitement and the urgency, the mangled lips and chest to chest contact seemed to satisfy it all. Scott was on top, rocking and grinding and moaning into the hands on his back and Isaac was returning in fold, the hand on his pec and the other on his bicep more than enough contact to excite him. And excited they were, and Scott, the alpha, he allowed for more. He straightened up on his knees and peered down at the lust-stricken pouty red lips of the blonde below him. Isaac looked as a god in that moment, chiseled Greek, Olympian.

Scott removed his own pants first, his black socks and boxer-briefs the only things left. Isaac breathed harder at what was happening, his cheeks reddening hard when Scott fumbled with the belt on Isaac's slim jeans. But they, too, fell to the far side of the bed under the window across from the bathroom and Scott leaned down, resuming the same position he'd been in: chest to chest, lips to lips, crotch to groin. This time, though, Isaac grabbed onto the tanner boy's bum, more defined and accessible by the black articles clad to them.

The alpha didn't stay there long, though, the red flashing in his eyes hinting that he was after something more tonight. And when Isaac's yellows replied without his intent, but smirked seductively regardless, Scott quickly removed the last of the black on his body, seating himself comfortably on the blond hairy thighs of the tall beta beneath him. Isaac looked him over. All of him. His face. His defined chest and arms. His tattoo. His trail. His newly visible and pointed appendage. Isaac huffed, ready to flip them over and ravage the boy into the mattress.

_Knock, knock._

"Scott?" came Rafael McCall's voice a second before he opened the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Late? Yes, sorry. Totally got held up and I suck. Evil? Also, yes, but not sorry. I figured a spicy alarming ending never hurt anyone so there you all have it. I'm gonna' miss working on this but, since this is the end, I encourage you all to check out my other stuff. I love comments, critiques, questions, etc. So keep following me for more Scisaac!


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